Halo Book I Valley of shadows
by Jochern
Summary: Escaping in the Normandy, Shepard and her crew was hit by the shockwave and somehow flung through space and time into another dimension entirely. They end up in 2551 and crash land on a planet under attack by Covenant forces. OC crew member involved. Alternative Universe story.
1. Chapter 1 Recovery

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 1 Recovery

Escaping in the Normandy, Shepard and his crew was hit by the shockwave and somehow flung through space and time into another dimension entirely. They end up in 2551 and crash land on a planet under attack by Covenant forces. OC crew member involved. Alternative Universe story.

 _ **Normandy**_ **, leaving Sol system**

Joker tried desperately to keep ahead of the shockwave as they flew in as quickly the ship could, but it closed in on them fast. They had been the last to go, waiting for Shepard to get aboard. They wouldn't leave him behind to die alone. No way. Not after everything that had happened. Not after everything they had been through.

 _Normandy_ started shaking. First just slightly but after a moment it grew more violent.

Kaiden Alenko stumbled into the cockpit and grabbed the chair beside Joker to avoid falling over.

"Can't we outrun it?" He asked in the commotion.

"No!" Joker answered.

He gripped _Normandy's_ pilot console harder to ensure he didn't tumble out of the pilot seat.

"We're being ripped apart!" Alenko said with tension in his voice.

Joker grimaced as he focused on piloting the Frigate.

"You prefer if we left Shepard?!" Joker countered.

Alenko glared at him, but almost smacked against the wall as the ship shook extremely violently for a second. He steadied himself against the wall.

Several alarms started beeping. Joker keyed the intercommunications online.

"Everybody hold on!" He shouted and the comm carried his voice throughout the ship.

"Jeff," EDI's calm and monotone voice said. "I am detecting an anomaly around the ship."

"What! What kind?" Alenko asked since Joker was rather busy keeping _Normandy_ in one piece.

"Unknown."

"Great," Joker cursed. "Sure it isn't the wave chasing us?"

"Yes," was the simple answer.

With a final massive tremor throughout _Normandy_ , Joker lost control and they dropped out of FTL. The ship spun out of control and fires had erupted on several decks. Joker heard an explosion on the same deck, back in the CIC. It was joined by a man screaming for a short moment.

"Medical team to CIC on the double!" Joker called over the comms.

" _On it!"_ He heard Professor Solus respond.

He had expected Doctor Chakwas or someone who was actually part of the medical staff. He didn't have time to think about it though, as _Normandy_ slowly was torn apart. They were quickly approaching a planet, way too quickly, and without control.

Joker was able to get some control and direct the ship in a general direction. But as they entered the planet's atmosphere, he couldn't avoid crashing into the planet anymore.

"Oh crap." He looked at Alenko. "Better strap in! This is gonna hurt."

Alenko looked out the front window and managed to get into the chair next to Joker with some effort. Joker was desperately trying to level out and avoid a front first crash.

"Don't suppose there's an open field around?" Kaiden Alenko asked.

"Don't see one," _Normandy's_ pilot responded. "Trees will have to do." He spoke with a strained voice.

"Just like a leaf kissing the surface of a pond, right?"

Joker threw him a glance.

"More like a rock kissing a pond," he corrected.

The surface was coming closer by the second.

"Oh. Great."

In the medical bay Garrus tried to strap Shepard down on a biobed. He groaned and cursed as he worked with the last strap. He also tried holding Shepard down so she wouldn't tumble off and fall to the floor. Finally, he managed to get her strapped in completely and he held onto the bed himself as the ship continued shaking.

Right now he was the only person-apart from Shepard-in the med-bay. Mordin just ran off to get to the bridge. Chakwas and her staff attended injuries all over the ship.

He looked down when Shepard grunted painfully. He gripped her hand tightly.

"Don't worry," he mumbled. It was more so directed at himself then Shepard.

Javik made his way onto the medical bay at the next moment. He carried Gabriella Daniels in his arms. She was groaning painfully and twitched.

"Spirits," Garrus breathed.

"A console exploded in her face," Javik explained quickly. "Where is the doctor?"

"Out. Put her down here," Garrus motioned him over to a biobed. "We'll strap her in until-"

He was interrupted by Joker over the internal communications system.

"We're go**ng in! Ho** on ** so**thi**!"

"Quickly! Strap her in!" Garrus reacted.

Javik placed Daniels down on the biobed and Garrus started working on strapping her down so she wouldn't hurt herself when they kissed the ground.

The Prothean and Turian looked at each other across Daniels biobed.

Before Garrus knew what hit him, he was flung across the medical bay with immense force and crashed through the glass window and out into the kitchen area. It was lights out after that and everything went black. Javik tried to grab him but lost his grip when he stretched to catch Garrus. He smacked-back first-into the edge of the doorway and grunted painfully. He was then hit straight on by a chair from across the room.

Shepard had no idea what was going on around her. The crimson haired commander was still unconscious, with her gunshot wound still bleeding slightly.

At the moment, Zaeed was regretting signing on with Shepard again. A part of him thought it was a bad idea, whilst a part of him missed the insane suicide mission. He was certain though, that if anyone could have saved the galaxy, she could. He was proven right. But right now…as he was in the cargo bay, with metal crates just barely missing his skull as they traveled from one end of the cargo bay to the other. As he was pinned down by crates and almost got his head turned into goo. Right now…he was regretting his decision a bit. But just a bit. He wouldn't have missed that fight on Earth for the universe.

The Frigate violently impacted the forested surface and tore up trees and everything else in its way, creating a wall of dirt before it, before coming to a complete stop.

 **New Australia, military Headquarters**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

Admiral Philippe Geraldino marched into the heart of the UNSC military on New Australia. With terminals, technicians, staff and officers filling out the space all around, he walked passed them and over to a circular metal table. He stopped by the table and looked at the holotank.

A blue holographic woman appeared. She was dressed in the ancient armor of a Spartan Hoplite, with a shield in her left hand and a long spear in the right. A few strains of her hair was visible as they hung outside her helmet. She had a smile on her face.

"Hi, admiral," she greeted him with a happy voice.

"Sparta," he returned in his own tired but stern voice. He pondered the AIs name for a second. Not very creative, was it. "What was it?"

"A ship," she replied shortly. "A ship that crashed into the forest on the eastern continent."

He arched an eyebrow.

"A ship? You had me hurry down here for a ship? A ship that crashed into the planet from space?" He gestured around him with his hands angrily. "There is a battle going on above us and Covenant forces have touched down!"

Sparta raised her spear and let the end touch the ground. Leaving it standing straight up.

"Easy admiral. Think of your heart," she said and cracked a smile. He just glared at her. "It wasn't a Covenant ship and it definitely wasn't a UNSC ship."

Geraldino's angry expression faded.

"Neither? Are you sure?"

She gestured towards the table with her spear.

"Look."

She brought up a holographic representation of the ship in question.

"We managed to get a decent look at it. Or I did, anyway. It doesn't resemble any ship we have ever seen the Covenant use. It isn't even purple. No purple. None."

The admiral scratched his chin.

"So, if you are sure it isn't Covenant or ours…who's is it?" He asked suspiciously.

She shrugged. Then she grinned.

"It was the colors that won you over, wasn't it?"

Geraldino cracked a tiny smile.

"No. it wasn't the color scheme. Back to the point please."

She nodded.

"Sorry. I don't know. Theoretically it could be an ONI ship. Secret project I suppose. They have lot of those."

"And they flew it into a warzone?" He asked, then shaking his head. "I can't see them doing that. Risking a new and secret ship like that."

"Maybe something went wrong," the AI suggested.

Geraldino cocked his head down.

"Get Colonel Prescott down here. I want to speak with our residing ONI agent."

Sparta brought her shield and spear closer to her chest and put on a firm expression.

"Yes your majesty!"

He glared at her and she decided this was the time to flicker out and make herself scares. Geraldino just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Also…"

She reappeared. A smirk yet again.

"Sir!"

"I want you to contact General Warfield. See if Mathew has any men nearby to check out the crash site. If anyone survived, we need to find them."

Sparta was silent for a second.

"Done, sir."

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

Garrus groaned and moaned. Slowly he flickered his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling the moment his eyes opened.

"Oh spirits," he groaned. He was really glad to have his carapace right now. After crashing through the glass like that, and hitting chairs, debris and whatever else. "What the…damn it."

He slowly sat up. The lights were blinking. Those who weren't completely down.

His head was aching with pain. As was most of him actually. He was puzzling together what had happened. They escaped Earth before the shockwave, killed the Reapers off, basically saving the galaxy and…they got hit and crashed…where? Was he missing something? His eyes snapped wide open and he forced himself onto his legs.

He ran through the rubble and into the medical bay. He looked over at Shepard. She was still in the biobed, but not strapped in anymore. He ran to her side and looked her over. She didn't seem injured. Not more than before actually.

"She's alright, Garrus," Chakwas voice soothed him. "I've patched her gunshot wound up."

Garrus leaned over the bed. His eyes looking right at Shepard's close ones. He took a deep breath.

"Thanks the spirits," he mumbled gratefully as he put a hand on her cheek and rubbed it gently.

Remembering there were others present, he straightened himself and turned to Chakwas, with a slight blush on his face.

"Eh, uh…right. So Jane's gonna be fine then?"

"I dare say so," Chakwas replied with a smile that was turning into a sweet smirk.

It made Garrus blush slightly more. Thankfully his rescue arrived in the shape of a grumpy Krogan.

"Oh, Grunt!" He exclaimed, possibly overly excited. "You okay buddy?"

Grunt carefully eyed the Turian for a moment.

"Of course. Syae and I was in the armory when it happened. Weapons in reach incase."

"You can't kill a shockwave Grunt," Garrus argued.

Grunt chuckled.

"We just killed the Reapers. We can do anything." He looked around the med-bay before continuing. "I'm gonna miss the fights, I admit."

Garrus crossed his arms over his armored chest.

"Well I'm not. I can guarantee you that." He looked at Chakwas with a concerned face. "How long was I out?"

She turned fully to him.

"Presuming you have been out since the crash, ah…" she considered it. "…I'd have to say almost thirty minutes perhaps."

Garrus didn't like that.

"Did we…did we lose anybody?"

Chakwas nodded sadly.

"Who?"

"You want a list?"

Garrus sighed sadly.

"That many, huh. Damn."

"Nine crewmembers. Twelve more wounded. Including Jeff, Tali and Kaiden."

"They hurt bad?" Grunt interjected.

Garrus thought he caught a worried tone in his voice.

"Not too bad. Jeff have a few broken bones. He's pretty lucky given his medical condition. Tali's suit was ruptured in several places, a few bruises and scrapes. She's resting in an improvised medical wing my staff's setting up in the cargo bay. She might just come out with an infection. The major, it isn't as bad as back on Mars when it all began, but still. He's going to need a few days to recover. Before I can send him back to active duty."

"The other nine?" Garrus asked.

"Everything from burns to broken bones. Daniels was badly burned on her hands and partially on her face, Adams broke his left leg and cracked four ribs and I'm afraid Donnelly have burns on his right arm, a pair cracked ribs and his right thigh was pierced by a piece of metal. Porter had a deep cut on his right side." Chakwas then turned to the crewman in the med-bay that wasn't injured. "Can you please aid Daniels to the cargo bay?"

"Sure doc."

She turned to Garrus and stepped towards him, avoiding a metal beam that had fallen from the ceiling.

"I'd like some help to move the Commander to the cargo bay. The med-bay's unusable for now."

Garrus nodded and walked back to Shepard's bed. He picked her up in his arms and headed for the door. Grunt grabbed the last injured crewmen in the med-bay. He stepped over some debris on the way over.

When Garrus arrived at the elevator he stopped.

"EDI?"

"Yes?" She replied.

He was relieved to hear she was still there.

"You good?"

"I am, thank you Garrus."

"Elevator safe?"

"The elevator is working again. I have transferred backup power to get it back online."

Garrus walked into the elevator and was joined by Grunt.

"Where's Syae and Wrex by the way?"

"Engineering. Place a mess," the Krogan replied. "Wrex is in the cargo bay."

"You know what. Wish I could regenerate like you guys. Would probably be useful."

Grunt chuckled lightly.

"Heh."

When the elevator stopped, Garrus ducked to avoid walking onto a piece of metal from the wall that was hanging down. Several wires hanged around it. He stepped over a beam and walked passed the control terminals. A bunch of makeshift beds had been set up, gear moved and almost all of the crew was here. Joker sat on a bed with a datapad. EDI's robot body walked about the place. Helping to move crates and weapons to their rightful places.

Garrus put Shepard down on an empty bed on the floor. Unfortunately it didn't get much more comfy at the moment. He was ignoring the pain in his limbs and head. He didn't have time for that. And now with her safe, he could focus on securing the area.

He looked around the cargo bay and walked over to EDI.

"EDI," he caught her attention. She turned to him.

"Yes, Garrus?"

"What's the ships situation?"

"We have damage on all decks, some secondary systems is still functional, but the primary systems are completely disabled. Our engines can be repaired but with all crewmembers with engineering experience wounded, making repairs to that or any other part of the ship will take time." She paused for Garrus to take in the information. "Thanks to Syae and uninjured crewmen we have managed to deal with the fires on board and ensure that the AI core room and cargo bay is secured."

"Well, that's good news at least. Can't have you going silent on us."

"Alright," he said and looked around again. "I'm gonna have a look around outside. See where we landed."

"A forest."

"Forest, huh. What planet?"

"That is unknown I'm afraid."

Garrus strolled around. He looked over at Zaeed.

"Hey Massani!" He called.

The old merc turned around.

"Let's go have a look about outside, yeah?" The Turian suggested.

The old mercenary nodded in agreement.

"Sure. Just lemma' arm up." He started walking to retrieve his weaponry.

"I'm coming with," Grunt declared. "Could be something to shoot at."

Garrus nodded and went to get his own gear.

Specialist Traynor looked at Garrus for a moment. She was very happy that someone was quick to step up with Commander Shepard out of commission. She sighed. Was a break too much to ask for? First the Reapers and immediately afterwards they crash into an unknown planet. But how? They couldn't have gotten too far. Not too many habitable planets in this sector of space. She laid down on the makeshift bed again. Her head was aching something terribly.

The door opened and Grunt was the first out, with Garrus and Zaeed behind. He held his M-300 Claymore shotgun ready to blast someone's head off.

 _Normandy_ had created a crater where it slammed down. It had torn up trees, rocks and masses of dirt. They were surrounded by a forest. A silent one. The crash had scared anything nearby away. They could see a range of mountains to the south of their position.

"Where the hell are we?" Zaeed asked, looking up at the sky.

He gripped his M-99 Saber assault rifle tighter. He pointed into the distant sky.

"Hey, you see that?"

Garrus and Grunt both turned and followed the way he pointed.

"Looks like a battle," Garrus realized. "Fighters I'd say."

"Yeah," Zaeed agreed. "But who's fighting who? With the galaxy in chaos, who'd still be fighting each other?"

Garrus titled his head right.

"There too far away to think or worry about at any rate," he stated. "Let's have a look around the ship."

He got a good look at the ship from where he stood. It sure didn't look good. Normandy looked more or less fly worthy if they fixed any breaches in the hull and get the primary systems back online. Granted, it looked beaten to hell, but still, she could probably fly. Hopefully.

At that point Wrex jumped out of Normandy's airlock. He held his M-300 Claymore shotgun in his arms.

"You leaving me to stack boxes, Vakarian?" He said in a mock saddened tone.

"You seemed to be having fun so I didn't wanna bother you," Garrus shot back.

Wrex looked around and smiled.

"And here I thought the fun was over," he commented with a smirk.

He definitely made the right decision hitching a ride with _Normandy_. This is where everything happened. Apart from the crash, this was feeling like the good old days, hunting down Saren across the galaxy.


	2. Chapter 2 Encounter

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 2 Encounter

 **New Australia, Communications outpost 2.4.1**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

After a succession of two sniper rounds both jackals at the door collapsed. The grunt at the turret jumped to his feet and grabbed it to start blasting. The next second four rounds tore through his helmet and into his skull. The dark green metal wall behind him was painted bright blue with blood. A succession of fire from two assault rifles dropped the remaining two jackals guarding the entrance.

A Spartan in red and black armor appeared from the fauna around the tower and jogged towards the tower entrance on the hill.

"Keep us covered Sphinx two," a strong female said through the radio.

"Like always, Sphinx one," a woman replied with a steady voice.

Two more Spartans in red and black armor ran towards the tower entrance.

"Somebody's bound to have heard that," four commented.

He took up a position beside the door and kept a steady hand on his MA5. He heard quick and light footsteps inside. Someone came down the stairs. As the door opened another jackal came through with a Needler rifle at the ready. Four placed two rounds in his head and he fell to the ground.

Sphinx one made her way through the door and inside the tower. Two grunts was wobbling down the stairs but when they saw her they turned around in panic and dropped their plasma pistols. They got a bullet in both their heads.

Sphinx three and four followed her inside.

"I was expecting some elites," three noted.

"There probably in the control room up top," four commented.

"They'd be coming down after the commotion," three replied. "Besides, this outposts is far away from any important objective. They probably just sent a squads."

One was first up the stairs with the other two behind her. Her rifle was steady and ready to put a bullet through any xeno in her way. With quick steps she moved through the stairs towards the top. She figured there were an elite officer around here somewhere. Waiting for them. She expected an ambush attempt up ahead.

As she slowly ascended into the brain of the tower, she looked over the consoles for life. She saw three bodies. Human. Probably the original crew. There had to be an elite officer around. Someone in command of this unit.

When she took her first step off the stairs she was proven right. An elite rushed right at her from seemingly out of nowhere. The big xeno found a good hiding place. She fired six rounds but they collided with his personal shields. The next second he body slammed her into the wall behind her, cracking the thin wall metal.

Three and four reacted and fired. Three emptied his rifle into the elite's shields.

The elite activated an energy sword and turned to four and three.

Having dropped her rifle, one drew her pistol from the holster and aimed it at the xenos back.

"Don't turn your back on a Spartan," she warned him.

She then unloaded the clip into the shield. As the elite seemed having a difficult time deciding the biggest threat of the three, the other two Spartans combined fire dropped the shields. Sphinx one quickly reloaded her pistol and jabbed a combat knife into the elites gut. He screeched aloud. She then kicked him back and four pushed his MA5 into his face and fired at point blank. The elites head splattered all around.

" _You kitties having fun in there?"_ Two asked over the radio.

"Took down the last hostile," one responded. "Three, get the tower back online."

He nodded and headed over to a console.

Four looked at the elite's corpse and kicked it slightly. An ultra by the look of the armor. He had expected an ultra to command more than just grunts and jackals. A few elites at least. So this mission was important enough for an ultra but not a bunch of extra elites. He shrugged and looked at three. Trying to make the covies make sense always gave him a headache.

Pierre keyed the console for a while.

"That…should do it. Try it now sir."

"Sphinx lead to command," she said into her radio.

" _Sphinx lead, this is General Warfield, we read you,"_ came the response. _"Mission successful I presume?"_

"Yes, sir. All hostiles eliminated. Tower under our control and-obviously-radios back online," Becky summarized.

"Good work Sphinx," Warfield complimented. "I have pelicans thirty minutes out with troopers to defend the tower in the future. I got another mission for you right off the bat, commander."

"We're ready, sir," she assured him.

"Just what I wanna hear," he said positively. "A ship crashed five kilometers from you. I need you to get over there and check for survivors."

"Ours?"

"Negative. But not Covenant either. It's an unknown element."

Pierre and four looked at her as they listened in.

"Unknown, sir?" Becky requested clarification.

"That's right commander. We have no idea who it is, but it isn't us or the covies. Be extremely careful. Now, these people might be friendly, but they can also be hostile."

"Understood. We'll move out when the pelicans arrive."

"Copy. Remember Commander, **do not** , make an enemy unnecessarily. Warfield out."

The channel closed.

"Two, why don't you join us inside," Becky said over the radio.

"On my way," two responded.

Pierre cracked his neck and rested against a wall. This had been easier than he expected it to be. Just one squad of hostiles. It was fun to have an easy mission ones in a while though. He didn't mind at all.

"Another xeno hunt," four mused. "Fuckin' great. Haven't had enough of that."

"Stuff it, Daniel," Becky ordered.

Four nodded and raised his right hand.

"Fine, commander. Just sayin' what everyone's thinking."

Phoenix came jogging up the stairs.

"I wasn't," Pierre said.

"Whatup?" two said when she arrived.

"Pickup in thirty," Becky started filling her in. "Troopers taking over, we ship out to a crash site to search for survivors and or eliminate hostiles."

Phoenix tilted her head.

"What kind of ship? Covenant? No friendlies there. Shouldn't be hostiles on UNSC ship," he pondered. That only left one option.

"The ships of unknown origins. Neither ours or theirs," Becky was quick to explain.

"Huh. Fantastic," she said sardonically.

Phoenix walked over to a glass door and opened it to walk out on the balcony stretching around the tower. She was just twenty meters above ground. Thanks to the hill, she had a perfect view of the surrounding area. Nothing could sneak up on them. If the covies had used it right, same could have been said about them.

She spotted dropships suddenly.

"Commander, troop carriers!" She alerted.

Pierre and Daniels was quickly outside with her.

"How many?" Becky asked.

Phoenix lined up the scope of her sniper rifle.

"Counting ten. Phantoms, 'bout thirty men each so…a lot." She lowered her sniper. "Good news though. Not heading this way."

Becky came to stand beside her.

"Heading west," Phoenix explained.

West? What was there? Forests, just deep forests. No civilian or military buildings of any kind. What if the ship crashed out there? She only knew that it was five km from them, but no direction.

"The crashed ship might be there," she theorized. "They're going to check it out."

"Looks like their beating us to it," Daniel said casually.

"Sphinx lead to command," Becky said in her radio.

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

"That's better than nothing," Traynor noted.

She was taking stock on all supplies they had gathered in the cargo bay. With most of the ship wrecked, the cargo bay would have to do for now. At least they didn't have a shortage of anything important. Food and medical supplies was no problem, and they had enough munitions and weapons for a small army. Thankfully they had stocked up with plenty before the assault on Earth.

She saw Syae exiting the elevator.

The tall woman's silver eyes got a good look around the cargo bay. Syae was from a species called Aey'Syyon. They were a small civilization that inhabited a few planets in the Attican Traverse. She was clad in black carapace from top till toe. Her hands and feet had sharp talons on them and her hair was a bunch of thick dark purple tendrils. She spoke with a booming echoing voice.

She had been helping to clear out engineering and make it usable. Tali hadn't been one for sitting around when chaos was afoot. Infection or no infection, she was determined to fix the engines and make the ship flight worthy again. It was very impressive in Traynor's opinion. Hopefully she wouldn't suffer or overwork herself.

Syae noted that Javik was present. He helped stacking crates so they wouldn't be in the way for the wounded. Mordin was also there, administrating a calming agent to a crewmember in pain. Liara was working with a terminal and EDIs robot body-as well as Tali-was both in engineering. Alenko was sleeping on a makeshift bed.

Syae made her way to Liara who was closest.

"Liara, where is the others?" Her echoing voice asked.

"Care to be specific?" The Asari asked, not bothering to look up. She was clearly busy.

"Zaeed, Grunt, Urdnot Wrex and Garrus specifically," Syae explained.

"Outside, checking the perimeter or something similar," Liara explained swiftly. "Now I'm afraid I'm quite busy."

Syae nodded and stepped away.

She walked over to Joker who was sitting on a bed with Chakwas looking him over.

"How you doing?" She asked.

"Hmm, we crashed, got lost on a random planet and Shepard almost died. Twice! In all though. I'm doing great," he replied as his usual tone.

Syae smiled slightly. He was fine.

"We did destroy the Reapers and retook Earth though," she pointed out.

Joker looked up at her for a moment as Chakwas left to retrieve some equipment.

He sighed. "Not much left to retake."

Syae sat down beside him.

"Saved the galaxy. You can smile about that, right? Come on. Smile a little." She smiled encouragingly. "Probably would have died if not you're your fancy flying."

"Yeah, I suppose," Joker finally responded.

Syae snickered.

"Saved the galaxy for, what is it for you? Second, third time?"

Joker smirked.

"Either way, as humans say, it was kinda badass."

"We are, aren't we."

She put her arm around his shoulders and tapped her talons against his arm.

"Yes we are," she said full heartedly. "Yes we are."

She turned her head and looked over to the makeshift bed Shepard was resting on.

"She woken yet?"

"Nah. Still out like a rock." He then turned to look at the Aey'Syyon female. "Slept through the whole crash thing, ya know."

Syae smirked and shook her head.

"If anyone could, it'd be Shepard."

"Ah, she deserves a rest. Bad timing as it was to choose now of all things."

As if on que, Shepard groaned and started raising her head. Jane blinked and looked around her. She was in the cargo bay of the Normandy. Why, and how did she get here? Her confusion was switched out with concern when she saw several injured crewmembers around, and basically the entire crew. Her lilac eyes stopped on Syae and Joker that was sitting on a makeshift bed nearby. Syae got up and strolled over.

"Nice to see you awake," she commented softly.

"W-what happened?" Shepard asked. "Why are we in the cargo bay, and why is so many injured?"

Syae sighed. She wasn't going to enjoy explaining all of this to Shepard.

"Well, you see…we escaped the Sol system but got hit by the shockwave and was knocked about a bit. Thanks to Joker's flying, we crashed here under survivable terms instead of getting disintegrated." She paused, watching the Commanders reaction.

Shepard sat up.

"Casualties?"

"Nine. I'm sorry."

"Who we lost, Syae?"

"Robert Graham, Kent Stallion, Sera Burnside, Laura Goldstein, Lars Svensson, Madeline Paulson, Danial Fenningham, Agar Mortenson and Ciera Voss," Syae read the names of the dead crewmembers from her mind with a sad tone.

Shepard was silent for almost a minute. Then she stood up.

"Easy, Shepard," Syae told her carefully. "You got shot and banged around quite a bit."

"I-I'm fine," she lied. She wasn't feeling so hot, but she didn't have time to worry about herself. "Where is-"

"Garrus is outside with Grunt, Zaeed and Wrex," Syae finished.

Shepard gave her a look but simply nodded. Then a light went up.

"Wait, Wrex? He's here?"

Her alien friend nodded.

"Yep. Retrieved him together with your ground team."

"Ok. Next question. How the hell did I get here? Wait! Anderson, what happened to him?" She quickly turned to stare at Syae. She was quite sure she already knew the answer to that. Terrible as it was.

She flinched by Shepard's sudden exclamation.

"I-I'm sorry. So sorry, but… I know he was a friend but…he didn't make it. He was right next to you when they got you." She looked into Shepard's eyes sadly. She reached for her comm. "Hey Garrus."

" _Yeah?"_ The reply came.

Shepard activated her own comm.

"Garrus, Shepard here."

Garrus was silent for a few seconds.

" _Jane!"_ He then exclaimed. _"You're okay?"_

"I'm okay," she assured him. "It…" she took a deep breath. "…It's really good to hear your voice, Garrus."

"Same back, Jane. Damn I was…" remembering he was on an open line, he stopped.

"I'm coming out," Shepard decided.

" _Meet you at the airlock."_

Shepard closed the channel.

She looked up to see Syae smirking at her.

"Have fun kids," she said with a wave of her right hand.

Shepard ignored her and walked towards the elevator. When she reached the consoles, Liara gave her a light hug.

"Thank the goddess you're okay, Shepard," she said with a soft voice. There was a mixture of emotions hidden in it.

Shepard gave her a hug back.

"Good to see you to, Liara." As she released Shepard, she looked at her Asari friend. "I see you made it without a scratch."

"More or less. Need an update?"

Shepard looked to the elevator before looking back at Liara. She kept a sigh in.

"Go ahead."

After the important update Shepard used the elevator to reach the CIC and made her way to the airlock. As it opened she saw Wrex outside. He had his trademark grin.

Shepard had geared up with her Terminus assault armor.

"Hehehe." He walked over to meet her. He then gave her a punch in the shoulder. "Starting to think you can't die Shepard. Universe throws every damn Reaper it got at ya, and you just stroll on by after wiping them out."

"All in a day's work," Shepard replied sheepishly. "Nothing much."

The large Krogan continued grinning.

"The number of suicide missions you've been on. Any normal human could be dead. N7, Spectre or whatever."

She just shrugged.

"It's, kind of my thing." She looked at the forest behind him. "What you got out here?"

Wrex half turned.

"Eh," he waved it off. "Bunch of trees, some fightin' in the distance."

"What?" Shepard caught that.

"Aero fighters. They left though. Probably finished up." He then looked at her crimson braided ponytail. "How'd you managed keeping that intact?"

Again, she just shrugged.

He shook his head and pointed to the front of _Normandy_.

Garrus jumped down from the dirt hill _Normandy_ had made in front of her as she tore the ground up. He had an eagerness to his steps. One part of Shepard just wanted to run over and meet him in an embrace, but she was more professional then that.

"I think I'll check on Grunt," Wrex said with a knowing look. "Enjoy."

They stopped with a mere half a meter between each other. Shepard looked up at the slightly taller Turian, their eyes meeting.

"Garrus," she said, almost whispering.

"Jane," he replied, putting his hands on her hips.

She placed her hands on his chest.

"I…eh, I thought you'd bought it." She had a mixture of emotions in her eyes. Fear, sadness, worry, happiness, excitement and relief.

"Me?" Garrus asked with a small laugh. "You're the one who ran into that beam and teleported up to the Citadel. Got shot. Almost bled out…missing something?"

Shepard titled her head left.

"I was still on board when it was getting ripped apart," she reminded casually.

"Oh yeah," he said, pretending he had actually forgotten. "I was actually there. Me and Wrex pulled you off that tug in the last second."

Shepard threw a glanced at the direction the Krogan had disappeared. She looked back into Garrus eyes.

"Before I entered the beam, I saw your ship get hit."

Garrus smiled.

"The Kodiak scurried the edge of it. That's it. We lost some paint and had to land. No biggie," he replied in a casual tone. "We got to hitch a ride with another one."

For a moment, no one said anything. They just looked at each other and listened to their shallow breathing. Shepard closed her eyes and leaned closer, as Garrus gently clicked his mandibles before leaning down and closing his own eyes.

They suddenly heard movement in the bush. Breaking away, they saw Grunt jogging over. He looked at them for a second.

"Hey Shepard, better come and see this," he said.

"Why good to see you to, Grunt," Shepard answered.

He grinned and cocked his head.

"I knew nothing like a wimpy Reaper could kill you," he then nodded back the way he'd come. "Come on, got some real fun approaching."

Garrus and Shepard looked at each other before following Grunt.

He led them to a high point, looking out over a forested valley below. A waterfall was streaming by on their right. Zaeed was keying his Omni-tool. He looked up as they appeared.

"Damn, you up and about already," he said. "Glad you made it. Got a party coming in."

"Hehe," Grunt grinned.

Wrex was standing on the edge, looking at a few ships approaching.

"I'm counting at least ten," Zaeed said. "Probably a few dozen in each of them."

"Good," Grunt said approvingly. "More to kill."

"Now, now, easy Grunt," Shepard said. "We don't know who they are. They could be friendly."

Wrex gave her a look. As if saying: Are they ever?

"Yeah, good point," the commander conceded. "No one of you recognize the design?"

"Not Alliance," Zaeed confirmed. "Never seen any Asari, Salarian or Turian ships like that either."

Wrex nodded in silent agreement. He then nodded to Garrus sniper.

"Have a look scar."

Garrus looked through his scope, with the same result as the others.

"No, sorry. Never seen that before. Definitely not Turian, nor Volus, Batarian or really any species I can think of. If I didn't know any better, closest match would be Geth, but they don't have ships like that. Not those colors."

"Whoever they are, new design at least," Shepard noted. "Until we figure out which planet we're on, we can't just guess. We'll just have to wait until they get here to see."

"We should assume them hostile," Zaeed advised.

Shepard nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but they weren't very good at running into friendlies.

"Liara," she said in her comm.

" _Yes commander?"_

"We got incoming unknown. We're thinking hostiles," Shepard explained.

" _I understand. I'll get ready. Are there many?"_

"Ten dropships. Probably a few dozen in each."

" _Understood. Liara out."_

Shepard turned to Grunt, Wrex and Zaeed.

Zaeed replied before she even spoke.

"Wrex and I found a field one hundred meters from here. Probably best landing zone."

Shepard nodded.

"Garrus, stay here for the moment and keep an eye on them. Rest of you with me back to Normandy. We'll get the others and wait until we know where they land."

Everyone nodded in confirmation.

Depending on if they had to land or could just drop troops down while hoovering, they could drop troops in the wake of their crash. They did leave a _Normandy_ sized trail through the forest. Shepard didn't want to be caught in the wrong position and have hostiles between them and the _Normandy_.

* * *

I feel like the Spartans didn't get as much time on as they deserved, but they'll be back very soon to rectify that.

Also, if you've ready Universal Journey you'll notice this is the saem Spartan team. I decided to use them here. I wanna get them more "screen" time then they got in that story. I kinda feel like I screwed them over a bit there honestly.


	3. Chapter 3 Hail of Fire

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 3 Hail of fire

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

When Shepard and her team made it back to the ship the airlock timely opened and Liara came out with steady steps. She was dressed in all black, instead of her white science uniform. Behind her came EDIs robot form, wielding an N7 Hurricane submachinegun.

Syae, Mordin, Tali and Javik was also present, along with three crewmembers armed with M-7 Lancers.

" _Shepard,"_ she heard Garrus over the comms. _"They're heading for the field, avoiding our little runway."_

"Got it, now get back here," she told him.

" _On it."_

"Alright," she raised her voice. "Tali and Mordin and you-" she nodded to the three crewmembers. "-stay here and hold that airlock. Don't let anything get through."

Mordin nodded affirming. Tali was less liking of the idea. It seemed Shepard was keeping her on the sidelines because of her formerly ruptured suit and risk of infection since. But she didn't argue. This wasn't the time to disagree with the commander.

"Everyone else, with me," Shepard decided.

They hurried towards the field, across Normandy-which was half buried in the ground and across the runway stretch they had made upon impact. Garrus wasn't far behind them. By the time they reached the edge of the large grass field, the first ship had started unloading people through a retracting bulkhead and a ramp that stretched out slightly.

They didn't recognize any of them. The first to appear was small aliens with a large tank on their back and a breathing mask covering their faces. They were armed with pistol sized weaponry. There were a few avian, with a long beak and thin arms and legs. They held rifles in their taloned grips. Two aliens were giant in extent. Krogan sized basically. They appeared saurian with thick dark mandibles and blue armor.

"Who, the, hell," Zaeed voiced what everyone thought.

Shepard considered her next actions. They certainly didn't look to friendly, but again, neither did most of the people she traveled with.

"I'll say hello," she decided.

Garrus looked at her with concern.

"I'm not loving that idea, Shepard," he admitted.

"Agreed," Grunt said. "Let's just shoot them dead."

Wrex just shrugged.

"I don't mind."

Shepard frown and stepped forward.

"They could be friendly. Saw a ship crash and went to check it out."

She walked out through the brush, reaching up to remove her black Terminus helmet.

"Maybe their friendly," she mused. A part of her was saying: 'No'. Her instincts was telling her this was a horrible idea.

One of the gassuckers noticed her and pointed and started yelling and jumping. It caught the rests attention. A third saurian jumped off the dropship, along with half a dozen gassuckers.

She was curious about what the little ones was breathing. Clearly they couldn't breathe the regular air the rest of them did. With twenty aliens gathers now, with more departing, they all aimed at her. Shepard stopped and raised her hands.

"Don't shoot!" She called.

In the forest, her comrades was lining up to start blasting away at the aliens. Wrex was bring out the missile launcher and aiming it right inside the ships open hatch.

The aliens seemed to hold off.

"We're friendly, crashed," Shepard said. She stopped ten meters from the forest line.

She removed her helmet, showing that she was human. Her braided ponytail was grabbed slightly by the wind.

"Kill the human!" One of the saurian screamed aloud. "Kill it!"

"Guess there not friendly then, huh," Shepard mumbled to herself.

She made a beeline towards the forest again. Her instincts was completely right, like always.

They started blasting at her, but thankfully her crewmates fired back. Wrex fired a missile right inside the dropship and took it out. It was torn in two and crumbled towards the ground. It squashed a few of those gassuckers when it hit.

Zaeed and Garrus both put a sniper round through the skull of an alien each. Two saurian fell dead to the ground.

As she ran, she put her helmet back on. She felt several impacts against her shields. Her armor took a beating from what apparently was plasma. At least they held until she threw herself into the forest.

Syae unloaded her Striker assault rifle into a saurian soldier, but he had activated personal shields that took the brunt of the impact. The gassuckers and avians began charging. Since they had no cover on the field, it was apparently their best strategy. A saurian drew and activated an energy sword as he charged forward. He ignored the gassuckers and avians and ran passed them all.

Zaeed fired a round that hit the Saurians shields. He raised an eyebrow to this. He had seen the bolts smack into Shepard and her shields hadn't held long. They were down by the time she got back.

"Cheaters," he commented dryly.

Three other dropships began unloading troops. The others had to wait for their turn as the field didn't fit all at once.

"Fire a missile at one of those," Shepard told Wrex.

He nodded in response. He took aim and fired away a missile right into a second. It was rocked with explosions and fell to the ground, killing everyone inside.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Garrus told Shepard as he fired off a round into the tank of a gassucker.

It exploded and killed the tiny alien.

"So you keep saying," Shepard replied.

Shepard placed three rounds from her N7 Valkyrie into an avian soldier's throat. They went clean through and into the one behind. She fired another round at a gassuckers head. She continued dropping them one by one.

Together with a combined blast from Zaeed and Syae she took out the last saurians shield. Zaeed put a bullet through his skull. The last saurian from the first ship anyway.

"Switching to some heavier stuff," Syae said, taking cover behind a tree as super-heated plasma came her way. She switched out her assault rifle for her Geth Spitfire. "Now we're talking. Show mama how it's done."

She left cover and unloaded the Spitfire into everything that moved in her sight. It quickly spewed enough fire to take down an orange armored saurians shields and kill him. Turning it on a poor gassucker, he was killed instantly. She mowed down trio of birds next. With that she cleared out the first drop. But there were fifty or so other aliens swarming towards them. Three new ships was preparing to unload their troops.

Shepard locked eyes on a ship that flew in an unwelcome direction. The crash zone. Damn it, she thought. It was gonna drop in the runway from the crash.

"Mordin, you got incoming!" She warned.

" _Understood, Shepard,"_ Mordin's hyperactive voice replied. _"We're ready."_

Wrex switched from the missile launcher to his Claymore shotgun. Using carnage he shredded a birdbrain. Ripping him completely apart. He squeezed the trigger of his shotgun, blasting a gassucker who was getting a bit to close.

Syae raised her Spitfire and fired straight into an open dropship, slaughtering the majority of its occupants. Bodies fell off and to the ground. She ducked and returned to cover when she had to reload.

"Cover me, EDI," she told the AI beside her.

"Affirmative," EDI replied. She fired her submachinegun at a trio of birdlike aliens that closed in with a plasma pistol and an energy shield each.

Syae shifted around the tree to avoid getting blasted.

"They are attempting to flank us," EDI informed.

Shepard threw a glance in their direction of the battlefield.

"Grunt! Relocate to Syae and EDIs position!" She ordered.

"Fine!" Grunt said.

He ran from their end towards the AI and Aey'Syyon female.

"I. Am. Krogan!" He screamed as he fired his Claymore without stopping.

Two birds staggered back and the third joined them to avoid breaking the shield formation. They kept blasting at the charging Krogan's shields. The shields couldn't stand up again the plasma. Grunts armor was burned as the shields partially stopped the bolts and radiation might be an issue, although the Krogan couldn't be bothered by those tiny facts.

Syae rolled her eyes and looked to EDI.

"Cover him!"

She left cover and spewed one of the three with a hail of fire. He lost his ground and dropped the shield. He was dead in seconds.

Grunt blasted into the shields at close range and then grabbed one of their arms-in which he held the plasma pistol-and pulled at him. The alien panicked and lost his shield. Grunt then fired his shotgun into his head. Blasting it off.

The second was easier picking for Grunt. With fire from EDI, he had to half turn and opened himself up to Grunt. It was over with one blast from Grunt's Claymore. When he turned he spotted a saurian in blue armor about to slam himself into him. He grinned and charged. The two giants smacked into each other violently, but neither lost his footing. The saurian punched at Grunt's chest, with little success. Grunt in return head-butted him. He fell backwards and was finished off with the Claymore.

Four gassuckers fled from Grunt in panic when he killed their superior. Grunt took down three of them with a single blast. He decided to let the fourth run and fired at a bird alien. He ignored the plasma striking his armor, as his shields collapsed. He wasn't bothered by it at all.

"For god sake," Shepard sighed when she saw Grunt standing in between them and the swarming aliens. "Grunt, fallback. Now," she ordered him over the comm.

Grunt sighed and jogged back to Syae and EDI.

"Don't say a thing," he snapped at Syae.

She shrugged innocently and opened up with the Geth Spitfire again.

Back at the crash site Mordin was administrating medical aid with his Omni-tool to an injured crewmen. She groaned and grunted in pain after being hit in the leg by a bolt of plasma. A male crewmen laid dead in the airlock, while Tali and the third crewman defended the entrance.

Tali ducked for cover to reload her submachinegun. The crewman held his position and killed a gassucker that wielded a strange gun that fired crystal needles.

"Done," Mordin said. He got up and gestured to the third crewman to help her away from the line of fire.

He then assumed a position beside Tali. He used cryo blast to freeze a saurian alien in red armor with a blue plasma rifle. He then proceeded with incinerate to set a bird alien ablaze. He screamed in pain and horror before falling over dead.

"Try not to get hit!" He told Tali.

"Sheesh, I hadn't thought of that," she replied sarcastically.

"I am serious," Mordin reiterated. "Kinetic barriers not good against plasma. Radiation possible issue also!"

"Oh. Well crap."

He reloaded the submachinegun.

"Cover me!" He told Tali.

She used energy drain to drain a saurians shields and boost her own. She managed to hit a bird alien in the head with four rounds. He was about to throw a grenade and instead dropped it and killed three gassuckers in proximity to it.

"Fallback to the door!" Mordin shouted.

Tali didn't mind and withdrew with Mordin covering her. At least from here, the enemy had to channel through the airlock.

Two gassuckers tried getting through while firing blindly. A few rounds took care of them.

A saurian charged into the confined space. Mordin and Tali both emptied their clips into his shields, without dropping them. He fired off two plasma blasts into her shields. He used the plasma rifle to hit Mordin across the face. He smacked into metal debris and pain shot through his back.

Tali had to think fast as the alien turned to her. She ran backwards and released Chiktikka. Hopefully the drone could draw their attention long enough. Her first idea was a grenade, but that would hit Mordin too. She couldn't ran for it, then they'd kill Mordin.

The saurian alien flared his mandibles at the drone and fired with his plasma rifle. He roared menacingly. Chiktikka didn't last long. She fired her submachinegun into his shields and they finally flickered off. But her clip ran out and she needed a new thermal clip. Two bird aliens was coming through the airlock.

She ducked behind a broken terminal when the saurian fired his plasma rifle at her. From behind, Mordin incinerated both bird aliens, making the larger turn to him. Tali then got up and spewed round after round into his back. He shrieked and fell to his knees. Mordin placed a Carnifex heavy pistol in between his mandibles and squeezed the trigger.

With the large aliens brains splattered, the oncoming gassuckers turned about and scrambled back the way they came.

"Run! Leader dead! Run away!"

Tali rushed over and helped the Salarian up.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Will be fine. Administer Medi-gel!"

She saw a saurian pick off the fleeing gassuckers.

Mordin quickly used his Omni-tool and fixed his light wounds up. Tali assumed the position beside the inner airlock door. Tali worried about the others. If they had one ship, then they fought the other nine. They could really use a Krogan right about now.

For a moment Mordin wondered how these aliens had developed perfect plasma weaponry. And without any Council race apparently knowing about it or them. He could ponder this for hours but he didn't have time right now.

The hostiles kept blasting through the airlock, but they didn't try to charge inside again. Not yet anyway.

"Shepard!" Mordin said. "Need backup quickly!"

" _Hang on, Mordin!"_ Shepard replied. _"We're on our way back. Just hang in there a bit longer."_

"Trying!"

He injured a bird alien by hitting him in the arm.

Backup arrived in the form of five armed crewmembers. Two of them were already injured from the crash. Mordin pointed to them.

"Defensive position there!"

He gestured for them to defend the corridor leading from the airlock and cockpit to the CIC. They were quick to assume defensive positions. Now if they broke through again, they'd have a backup position to hammer them with fire from.

Using her Omni-tool Tali sabotaged the weapons of several gassuckers. The throw them away and ran for it. A larger alien shot them dead. They didn't tolerate retreat in the face of the enemy.

The saurian roared and Mordin and Tali looked at each other. The both nodded. Mordin was the first to move, with Tali right behind him. They joined the five crewmen in cover behind debris and terminals.

Said and done, the saurian charged inside, but was met by seven people firing at only him. His shields quickly failed and he was killed quickly as bullet after bullet slammed into him.

A grenade was thrown inside.

"Take cover!" Tali warned.

It went off but luckily no one was injured. It wrecked part of the corridor but wounded nobody.

A bird alien took cover behind the airlock door and fired inside.

"Shepard," Tali hissed in her comm. "We're in trouble here."

" _We're trying, Tali,"_ Shepard answered. _"They're trying to cut us off from Normandy."_

They heard a mass of footsteps and movements outside in the airlock.

"We don't have much time. We're kinda outgunned here!" She exclaimed, almost desperately.

She then heard what sounded like shotguns outside.

"I AM KROGAN!"

" _I sent Wrex and Grunt ahead,"_ Shepard continued. _"They should be there-"_

"Just heard them. Thanks, Shepard," Tali interrupted. "Be careful."

" _You to."_

Mordin tried using incinerate to get the aliens hiding behind the corner. He missed but managed to scare them enough to get out of the airlock. They probably didn't want to get trapped between the advancing Krogan and defenders inside.

Suddenly-to everyone's relief-Wrex bobbed his head in.

"You guys okay?" He asked.

"Been better," Mordin said honestly.


	4. Chapter 4 Assistance

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 4 Assistance

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

Liara used her biotics to throw a gassucker backwards, straight into a birdlike alien with a sniper. Garrus put a round through the tank and it exploded, killing both of them, plus three others in proximity. All with avian traits.

Using a singularity Liara sucked a saurian out of cover and he levitated around the singularity. Syae spewed a hail of dead over him with her Geth Spitfire. Plasma bolts whizzing passed her head.

"On my mark," Garrus told Zaeed.

The old merc nodded.

Garrus overloaded the shields of an advancing large alien in dark blue armor. His shields dropped and Zaeed put a round through his mandibles and into his skull.

"Nice shot," Garrus complimented as they kept moving backwards.

They had almost made it all the way back to the _Normandy_ by now. It wasn't easy with dozens of aliens shooting at them.

Shepard saw two giant aliens with what appeared to be some heavier gear then the rest. She used her biotics to charge straight into one of them. The alien staggered by the impact and lost his weapon. He growled at the human in front of him, just before she used her N7 Valkyrie to shoot at point blank.

Garrus overloaded the others shields, allowing Javik's Particle rifle to finish him off. Adding a concussive shot of his own for good measure. Shepard fired at a pair of gassuckers, killing both before she ducked as plasma impacted her shields. Her shields was brought down way more than she had preferred. Plasma was way too useful against their shields.

"Shepard!" Liara shouted. "Last ships just offloaded!"

Great, Shepard thought. Thirty or so more soldiers incoming. Just what they needed.

"Liara and EDI, fallback. Zaeed covering fire," she commanded.

"Got ya covered," Zaeed assured.

He switched out his sniper rifle for the M-99 Saber. He brought down a birdbrain with a two shots. He really liked this gun. A mash of an assault rifle and a sniper rifle. The perfect mix of two weapon types. The semi-automatic was a good add-on to it, in his opinion. Not a downside at all.

EDI fired a short burst at a giant mandible alien before withdrawing with Liara. Liara herself used warp to rip a tank bearer to tiny little pieces.

Shepard fired a controlled burst at a saurian alien. She tried taking the pressure off Syae. It worked. He roared in anger and fired at her instead. The commander took cover behind a tree. She felt the heated plasma smack into the tree and how wood splinters shattered. She got out from cover and fired another burst into its shields. She returned to cover just as a bolt of plasma hit her shields. The shields failed and her armored right arm was burnt.

"Garrus, move!" She ordered. "Syae pull back, now!"

Syae walked backwards as her Spitfire wreaked havoc among the enemy lines in her sight. She only needed one blast to kill a little masked blue blooded thing. Her shields was low and wouldn't take much more pounding. But in her opinion, every pounding she took was one the others didn't have to take. With her regenerative ability, it wasn't nearly as bad as if Tali-for example-took a hit to her helmet and cracked her suit-in a worst case scenario.

She pumped shot after shot into an elite in red armor. He fired a Needler rifle at her. When it impacted her shields it was enough to bring them down.

Thankfully Javik fired bursts at the elite, catching his attention. Shepard fired another burst from behind cover.

"Syae move!" She shouted. "On the double!"

Syae obliged and turned and jogged back through the vegetation. She felt a bolt smack her right upper arm, but ignored the pain best she could. Ducking down, she reloaded her Spitfire. She really loved this gun.

She was caught off guard when a saurian alien decloaked in front of her. She raised her Spitfire but he fired a burst of plasma into her chest. She gasped and stumbled backwards into a tree. She had trouble breathing for a moment, desperately gasping for air.

"Syae!" Liara cried out. She fired into the aliens shields, desperate to get his attention.

It worked and he turned around, leaving the Aey'Syyon alone. She sunk down to the ground and groaned in pain, clutching her carapace covered chest.

"Overload its shields, Garrus!" Shepard shouted.

The Turian turned to the alien and did just that. The alien then charged him. Garrus raised his rifle and fired at him. The rounds pierced the armor and cut into his flesh. It didn't deter the alien and he kept going. The Turian tried avoiding him but failed and he smacked right into him.

Garrus was send flying a few meter before hitting the ground. Shepard was quick to use her biotics to charge into him. The alien refused to topple over and hit Shepard hard in the head with the plasma rifle. She was thankful for her helmet at that point. With a burst at point blank range into her shield, they failed and plasma impacted her armor.

Zaeed tried to help but had four gassuckers and a pair of shield wielding birds firing at his position.

Syae was back up and leaped at the alien. She latch onto his back and as the alien naturally tried to shake her off. But she wouldn't get off so easily. She jabbed her talons into his eyes, carving his eyes out of his skull. He screamed in horrific pain. Shepard fell to the ground and cringed at the gruesome scene.

Thankfully her armor had taken the brunt of the plasma burst, but it clearly showed that she'd been hit. The armor wasn't looking so hot right now. Garrus helped her up after picking himself up. He decided to administrate medi-gel to Shepard.

"You okay?" He asked with concern.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

They looked at Syae who picked up her Geth Spitfire again. They could see the scarring in her carapace from the plasma burst she took.

"It'll heal," she told them before they asked. There was obvious pain in her voice. "Don't worry!"

She blow a birdbrains head clean off with a perfect shot.

"Alright everybody move!" Shepard ordered.

The aliens kept pushing closer and closer. They had to get to more defendable positions. They had to runway in sight finally. They had about ten meters to the Frigate and then the full length to the airlock.

EDI overloaded a saurians shield and fired a burst with her submachinegun into his head. One round went clean through his eyes.

Grunt and Wrex came up to meet them. They blasted away at a group of birdbrains with their Claymore's.

Shepard noticed how the aliens didn't follow them out of the forest. Maybe they had taken enough casualties to think twice about attacking them now.

Garrus breathed out.

"Wow. That was intense. Who the hell were those guys?"

"I don't know," Zaeed was the first to respond. "Didn't recognize any of them."

Garrus leaned against _Normandy's_ side. They could really use James's gun about now. He shook his head at the sad memory. Vega never made it off Earth. But he put up a hell of a fight though. They had lost a lot of people through this hell journey that started with Saren.

"Well whoever they are, they'll be back," Wrex said adamantly.

"Possibly waiting for reinforcements," Mordin suggested as he joined them, together with Tali. She was sitting on a rock by the airlock.

"Those guys looked very advanced," Liara stated. "They had plasma based weapons and those ships suggest they most likely have mastered space travel."

"So?" Wrex asked with an arched eyebrow.

"So, why haven't any of us seen them before?" Liara continued. "If they've mastered space travel, how come the Citadel Council's never met them, or anyone else. And with their hostile nature they don't seem to be people that sit around and wait peacefully." She looked around at the group. "We hadn't made it awfully far from the Sol system when we crashed. We must still be in Alliance space. Somewhere."

"I can confirm that we were still in the Alliance sector upon crashing," EDI agreed.

Zaeed shifted his feet.

"Right. I'm pretty sure if we were in Alliance space, a bunch of new alien races wouldn't go undiscovered. I mean I counted three different races back there. Those gasmask goblin sized ones, the birdbrains and the lizard looking ones."

"It is unlikely for three so different species to evolve on the same planet," EDI added her piece. "It is not impossible but highly unlikely."

Javik sighed.

"This explains nothing. This discussion is pointless," he said flatly.

Shepard looked at him for a moment.

"Clearly we're not gonna solve this with the information we currently have. So let's organize a defense for the next attack," she decided. "Javik, you, Zaeed, EDI, Liara and Wrex stay outside with me, rest of you get inside and resupply and rest. Bring out some thermal clips for us."

"Wait, wait," Garrus halted her. "Let's talk about the Giant Krogan in the room." Wrex glared at him. "Not you."

"The giant elephant, right," Shepard acknowledged.

"As in the fact they wanted to kill you because you were human," Zaeed remarked. "That was…interesting for sure."

"Why would they want to kill humans on sight?" Tali asked.

"Good question," Shepard said. "But, it's clear they hate humans. For whatever reason. And we don't even know who they are. Clearly they'd met humans before."

This just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Wrex commented.

Shepard turned back to Garrus.

"Wanna get the others inside now? We're not gonna solve this by standing here."

"You got it," Garrus said.

"I want first blood too if they attack," Grunt sulked. "Krogan do not need rest."

"Mordin," Shepard said. "Check up with Chakwas on the wounded too."

"Off course," he said with a nod. "Going to work on improving shields for next encounter."

"Good idea professor."

Zaeed used the dirt hill up front to get up on top Normandy and get a good look around. He could see any aliens approach from there.

Everyone not named went inside, including the crewmembers.

Liara walked over to a few corpses and looked them over. Wrex came over and joined her. Liara focused on the tiny one.

"What ya thinking?" The Krogan asked.

"These," she pointed. "They seemed less willing to fight and simply ran at occasion."

"Yeah, noticed that," he concurred. "Cowards."

"Then why would they come here and fight? Clearly they don't actually want to fight. Not like the large saurian aliens." She scratched her blue chin. "I don't think they actually have a choice."

"What?" Wrex asked. "A kind of servant race? Forced to fight."

"Perhaps."

"Hmm. Tali mentioned they saw a reptile shoot a few of these that ran away. Twice."

Liara kneeled down.

"So they don't have the respect of their presumed overlords nor fighting spirit."

"Most of them used pistols," the Krogan added. "Not best kind of weapon. Granted they probably are to tiny to use anything else."

"Indeed. Cannon fodder. A race that serve as nothing but being cannon fodder." She sounded a little sad. If her theory was right, they didn't actually have a choice.

It didn't matter much to Wrex. They still shot at them. Meant they had to shoot back.

"These reptiles-" he kicked one of the larger alien corpses. "-are in charge clearly. Who's the birds? They didn't mind fighting. Better armed, better fighting spirit and wasn't thrown at us endlessly and pointlessly."

"They weren't in charge though. The larger commanded them too."

"Hmm. If these large Krogan-rip-offs went around and conquered two other races, why haven't anyone heard of them. Doesn't make sense."

Liara smirked at the Krogan rip-off remark.

"I'm sure they think you're a rip-off of, whatever they are," she commented.

"Not rip-off," he corrected. "Improvement. We're better than these assholes. Weaklings. Even a Salarian could take them down."

"Commander!" Zaeed alerted. "Movement in the forest!"

Wrex and Liara raised their weapons at three black and red armored figures that came out of the woodwork. They were not only heavily armored but also heavily armed by the looks of it. Zaeed was ready with his M-29 Incisor and Shepard and EDI came over to the Wrex and Liara's position.

"Inform the others," Shepard told EDI.

"Done," she said after a moment.

Becky looked around at the mess of Covenant bodies spread out on the ground. Whoever these people were, they definitely wasn't allied with the Covenant. She looked around at the defenders carefully. One of them was a female with blue skin and some strange tendril-thing on her head. Beside her was a giant lizard with a red crest and a presumed shotgun in hand. He was glaring back at them. There was also a silver robot with an overly curvy and seductive female shape. The last two was at least human. A man in yellow and black armor, with some white, older, receded dark hair, scars on his face. The last human was a woman. Late twenties or early thirties, Becky figured by her appearance. She had a red braided ponytail and pointed a rifle at them. As did everyone else.

Daniel glared at them from under his helmet.

"Fuck are these things," he muttered over the com-link.

Becky didn't pay him any attention.

They had landed some ways away from the area, hidden from anyone present and walked the last bit. They were aiming back at the aliens.

"Identify yourselves," Becky ordered.

Shepard picked up on that they sounded human. Given their body appearances, they probably were.

"I am Commander Shepard, Council Spectre," she replied carefully.

Becky frowned. What council? And what was a Spectre supposed to be?

"Never heard of ya," Daniel said rudely.

"Stove it four," Becky told him sharply. She turned her attention back to Shepard. "Start by lowering your weapons."

Shepard cocked her head.

"That's not a good idea," Wrex told her.

"We've just been shot and so I'm not too trusting of somebody that's pointing a gun back at me," she said adamantly.

Becky remembered what General Warfield told her. Don't make an unnecessary enemy. She had to play a more, diplomatic game here. With Covenant nearby, they had to be fast and careful as to not get sandwiched between the potentially friendly xenos and the definitely hostile xenos.

"How did you come to crash on New Australia?" Becky asked.

Shepard was silent for a moment. New Australia. The planets name. Obviously named after Australia back on Earth. He'd never heard of it before. Why was so there so much that didn't make sense? The aliens, the name of the planet. These peoples armor.

"How about we both lower our weapons and you get first dibs on questions?" She suggested.

" _Bad idea,"_ she heard two through the radio.

Phoenix had taken up a sniper position some distance into the forest with a good aim at the xenos.

"Fine."

Becky slowly lowered her BR55. Shepard followed and nodded to her team to comply. Becky turned her head to Pierre and Daniel. Pierre had already lowered his rifle and stood in a more relaxed stance already. Daniels looked back at her. He didn't like this.

Becky continued staring at him until he finally lowered his weapon too.

"Two, be ready in case this goes sideways," she whispered in the com-link.

" _Copy."_

"Alright," Shepard said as she attached her weapon to her back. "First question, how'd we come to crash here. Well, we were caught in the shockwave from the Crucible firing and going through the Charon relay. Thanks to some damn fancy flying from our pilot, we managed to survive the crash."

The Spartans was silent for a while.

Pierre blinked.

"What?" He asked, incredibly confused.

" _Fuck does that mean?"_ Two asked. _"Crucible, Charon relay, shockwave. Think they're playing with us, sir."_

"Care to…eh, elaborate on that?" Becky asked. "What's the Crucible?"

Shepard turned to Liara.

"Think you'd explain it better than me."

She nodded in acceptance.

"Very well." She turned to the Spartans. "The Crucible is the weapon discovered amongst the Prothean data on Mars. Since you haven't heard, it was a weapon to destroy the Reapers once and for all."

Becky just stood in silence.

What?

"Protheans, Reapers. Alien data on Mars. Ok.

It was now Shepard's turn to be confused too. By the looks of it, they weren't buying it. Even though half to it is common knowledge. Why was all of this so confusion to these people? Where the hell did the crash?

She throw a glance at their weapons. They didn't look to different, but yet, quite different. She didn't recognize the models.

"If your fucking with us, I'm gonna blow your brains out," Daniel threatened.

Becky raised her hand.

"What?" Shepard replied confused.

"I'm starting to think you're messing around to. Now, you need to start over, and take this slow and easy."

Shepard didn't like being threatened but decided to comply for now.

"Do you know what a Prothean is?" She asked, starting some something basic.

Becky shook her head.

So, they'd never heard of the Protheans. The race that came before them. Everybody had heard about them. Shepard sighed. She was starting to worry they weren't in their own galaxy anymore. Nothing made any lick of sense anymore.

"Let's talk armor," Becky decided. "Where you get that?"

Shepard looked down at her Terminus armor. Her helmet was lying on some rocks a meter away.

"It's made by…" this probably wouldn't mean much to them either. "…the Batarian State Arms Company. Not exactly standard issue-"

"Clearly," Becky interrupted.

At that point, Garrus, Javik, Tali and Grunt came out of the airlock.

"Shepard?" Garrus asked.

She looked over her shoulder.

"We're good. I think."

"As long as you cooperate," Becky said in a cold voice. "You ex-military? Navy or army?"

"I'm Alliance navy."

"What's the alliance?"

Garrus and Javik was confused by that. Grunts didn't really care and the others had started expecting that kind of response.

"The Systems Alliance. We represent Earth and humanity," Shepard slowly explained.

Apparently that was the wrong answer because the Spartans aimed their guns at them again. in response Shepard's crew aimed back. Shepard herself remained unarmed.

"If you're going to keep lying, I'm going to shoot you," Becky promised.

"I am not lying," Shepard said sternly with an annoyed tone. This was getting really annoying.

"There is no systems alliance," three said firmly. "UNSC represents Earth and humanity."

Another round of confusion passed through the Normandy crew.

"What the bloody hell is the UNSC?" Zaeed asked.

Becky decided to enlighten them if they were so determined to play this game.

"As if you don't know. It stands for the United Nations Space Command. We're the military arm of humanity," Becky said. "Not whatever imaginary government you got."

Something was clearly wrong here. Shepard looked at Garrus who came up on her right side. He could only offer a light shrug.

Liara stepped closer to Shepard.

"Shepard, I suspect there is only two solution left that makes sense," she stated.

"What are they?" Shepard whispered back.

Garrus listened in.

"First, the shockwave might have somehow jumped us forward in time. To a point where humanity is still around and new races have been discovered. It could explain a few things. We never figured out what that anomaly EDI discovered was."

"Time travel," Shepard groaned displeased.

"Something new to add to your resume," Garrus interjected with a positive tone.

"What's the second?"

"The second, is that we have been thrown into a parallel dimension."

Shepard blinked.

"What? A parallel dimension? That makes sense to you?"

"Actually yes. It would be able to explain everything that has happened to far."

Shepard waved to her people to lower their guns for now. If they would start shooting, these people would have to start it.

"Can it get worse?" She asked herself. She turned her attention back to the unnamed armored woman. "Right. I, eh." How to explain this? "This is probably going to sound crazy, but that's the only thing that makes sense."

"Okay," Becky said.

"But first, lower your weapons."

Becky looked into the woman's eyes. She didn't see any sign of deceit in them. no sign of treachery. She decided to trust her. She lowered her weapon, as did the others. Again, Daniel was the last to do so.

"Can I ask your name and rank?" Shepard asked. She hoped for some friendlier ground first.

"Commander Becky 092, Sphinx one," she introduced herself. "We're Spartans."

Shepard guess that would have to do.

"When we left the system with FTL through the relay, we were hit by a shockwave created by firing an ancient weapon first conceived by a race or races long extinct. We ran into an anomaly and we have no idea what might happen when a shockwave from the weapon, the Crucible, hits an anomaly and then a ship." Shepard paused to breathe and let them catch up. "We believe the _Normandy_ was thrown through into another dimension." So it was said. Now she waited for the reaction. Most likely another gun in her face.

The Spartans was silent. They looked at each other.

"You're from another dimension?" Becky asked in disbelief.

Shepard expected her not to believe him, but she was happily surprised to not get a weapon pointed at her this time. Progress!

Becky looked at Shepard. That didn't sound very believable to her. Although it would explain the strange aliens she hadn't seen before. And their ship. She hadn't seen the design before either. But there was a big galaxy out there. It would be more believable that they were from across the galaxy. But that didn't explain that they had humans with them. A human commander even. A human commanding aliens sounded preposterous to her.


	5. Chapter 5 Cooperation

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 5 Cooperation

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 25** **th**

The two teams continued staring at each other with tension rising ever so slightly.

"I know it's hard to believe," Shepard spoke up first. "But it's the only theory we have that makes sense. To be honest, I might not believe it either if the roles were reversed."

Becky turned to her teammates for their opinions.

Pierre shrugged casually.

"Why not."

"No way man," Daniel sneered. "Just kill 'em. Can't trust 'em"

Becky glared at him through her helmet visor.

"Two?"

" _I…I don't know,"_ she replied exasperatedly. _"It…it sounds astonishing. And, unbelievable."_

"There is so much about the universe we can't explain," Pierre told them. "So many things we can't begin to understand or even explain. Like black holes, or planets so hot that metal rain from the sky."

" _Science actually can explain the latter,"_ two cut in through the com-link. _"Hold it, I got movements across. Covenants coming."_

Becky turned to Shepard.

"We've got more Covenant incoming," she told her.

It wasn't too hard to piece together.

"Those aliens around us, I presume," Shepard said, referring to the alien bodies around them.

"Good catch," Pierre said merrily.

"What you say we deal with it together and then decided to shoot either other or not?" The commander suggested.

"Agreed," Becky said.

Shepard turned to EDI.

"Get the others out here."

"Understood."

Having an AI that was both no board and not on board was very useful sometimes.

"Garrus, take Zaeed, Javik, Grunt and Tali up and take the high ground."

"On it," he assured.

"Wrex, EDI, Liara with me."

"Right," Liara confirmed.

"Right behind you, Shepard," Wrex assured her. But he was gonna keep a close eye on the armored soldiers.

They all started moving quickly. Shepard spotted the first few aliens coming around the back of _Normandy_. She ducked down and kneeled beside the ships edge.

Pierre kneeled beside her.

"Warrant Officer Pierre," he offered his hand.

Shepard was happy to accept the gesture. Especially after everything that just happened.

"Never seen Covies before right?"

She shook her head. "No. Don't have those were we're from."

"Hmm. Yeah. See those little ones with tanks on their back. Call 'em grunts. The birdlike, those are jackals and-" a saurian came around the corner of the ship. "-that is an elite. Best warriors in the Covenant military. Tend to be the most fanatic too."

"Thank you," Shepard said honestly.

Zaeed and Garrus both send a sniper round through the skull of a jackal each. Grunt ran across the ships top and blasted a jackal that tried to climb up to get some high ground. Garrus motioned Tali to moved forward to the front of the ship and occupy the dirt hill.

Daniel fired a burst at an elite and gradually nurture the shields down. With a few rounds from Phoenix sniper the shields fell. With another round, she blow his mandibles clean off.

"Nice shot," Daniel congratulated.

" _All in a day's work,"_ she responded cockily in the com-link.

Tali opened up on a trio of grunts as they wobbled towards the dirt hill. With only six rounds, all went down. The next oncoming wave was an elite with five grunts in support. They all blasted away at her.

"Oh you bosh'tet!" She screamed at the elite when he fired a Concussion rifle at her. He missed her.

She squeezed her trigger and killed three of the grunts immediately. She ducked down when a plasma bolt passed right over her head. She fired again, striking the elites shields and killing another grunt. The elite grabbed a plasma grenade and lobbed it at her. She throw herself aside and barely managed to avoid the blast radius.

She then proceeded to use her Omni-tool to sabotage the elite's shields. He noticed them going out and roared at her. Garrus shifted his sniper rifle and put two rounds through the back of the elites head, right through his helmet and into his skull. He fell forward. The grunt didn't stop though, continued rushing Tali. She reloaded her submachinegun with a new thermal clip and placed a round in his eye socket.

She picked herself up in time to see Syae running towards her.

"Need an extra gun?" She asked with a smile.

"Well since you're here," the Quarian replied. "Suppose you could help."

Syae aimed her Striker assault rifle and fired a burst into a jackals head, dropping him on the spot. She spotted an elite aiming one of those Needler rifles at them. With split second decision, she used her biotics to charge him. In a second she was gone, and Tali just sighed.

"Off again," she mumbled annoyed. "I swear she'll kill herself one of these days."

On impact, the elite fell and Syae fired the assault rifle into his head. With two other elites to left and right, she had placed herself in an exposed position. She was quick to turn and fire at the elite to her right. The other fired his plasma rifle into her shields. The shields was quick to fail as a result. Tali tried getting their attention by sending out Chiktikka. The little drone charged into battle and fired at one of them.

It was more of an annoyance and one of them quickly disposed of the drone with some precision shooting. Not after his shields took a pounding though. Using her Omni-tool the energetic Quarian drained the energy from the elite's shields. With his shields drained, Syae emptied her thermal clip into his chest. She hit him across his mandibles with the butt of her rifle, shattering one of them. She heard the sound of bones cracking and the elite had a very pained expression on his face. She turned to the other elite, who staggered her with a punch to the waist and a burst into her with his weapon.

She wasn't done yet though, and she leaped at him and knocked him over the head with the rifle. With little time to reload she pulled out her Venom shotgun and blasted the aliens head clean off.

A plasma blast from a grunt scratched her knee. She turned and narrowed her eyes on the little alien. He scrammed in another direction. She blasted another grunt with her shotgun and half turned about and offloaded several shots at a pair of jackals with a shield and the other with a sniper. Both had their heads partially blown off.

Garrus noticed the Aey'Syyon when he lowered his scope.

"Spirits," he said with irritation. She was like a Krogan in Blood rage sometimes. "Syae, get back to your position."

"I saw an opportunity for a counterattack and seized it," she defended.

"Get back to the damn hill!" Garrus demanded.

He dodged a burst of plasma coming his way and fired a round with his Widow rifle. The round impacted an elite's shield. The elite roared angrily and fired at Garrus again.

"I got him!" Syae decided.

"What, no! Stand down and-" Garrus words was in vain because she charged right into the elite with her biotics. Again. "Damn it." He looked over his shoulder. "Javik, Zaeed, my twelve o'clock!"

Javik turned to him and searched the stop. He saw Syae going head-to-head with three elites, two jackals and ten grunts. She had put herself in the middle of them.

She was going on his nerves when she did that. A Blood rage induced Krogan was easier to control in his opinion.

"She is going to get us all killed!" He shouted with frustration and worry for Syae's safety.

Zaeed shook his head and looked to her with a scowled. He lined up a shot with his M-29 Incisor. He fired, crippling a jackal by blowing his left leg clean off. It got the merc to chuckle softly with a cringe.

"Ouch."

Javik fired his Particle rifle endlessly at the aliens mass. He jogged closer to them. Garrus fired round after round at the elites that was surrounding Syae while she was bashing two of the three with her Venom shotgun.

"Grunt!" Garrus screamed.

The Krogan in silver armor turned away from squashing a jackals head like a melon. He saw the Turian in blue armor pointing at something. He looked and saw Syae in the middle of a group of enemies.

"Ha!" He exclaimed. Garrus didn't need to tell him anything, no order or nothing. "Not without me!" Grunt rushed at them and shot a Concussive shot at an elites back. He almost fell over, but Syae kicked him across the face with her taloned feet. She left some awful purple bleeding wounds behind.

She pulled the second jackal to her with her biotics and let her talons cut into his throat, ripping flesh and skin off. She used him as a shield when an elite cut at her with an energy blade. He carved the jackal in half. She then throw the two bleeding pieces at him and fired a Concussive shot into his face. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The elite she cut across the face roared at her, widening his mandibles and attacking her with an energy blade. He managed to slash her left side when she tried to face the other elite. He tried to go for a decapitation but Grunt body slammed him before he could. He shot a blast into his back and then brought his foot down hard on his head, squashing it under his heel.

The Krogan laughed before firing off a succession of shots at grunts around him. They may only be equipped with plasma pistols, but it was still plasma, and a lot of them. Grunts shields were taking a beating. Syae's was already long gone. Grunts quickly followed.

Syae ignored the painful slash in her side and grabbed the elite's hand. He slapped her across the face with his free, but she wouldn't let go. She kicked him in his armored groin, not getting through but getting his attention. With that success, she disarmed him by taking the energy sword and gutting him with it.

As she turned around her excited eyes met Grunts equally excited ones. She pulled out her shotgun and they stood back to back and blasted everything alive in sight.

"Good you sent in the tank-breed idiot," Zaeed told Garrus sardonically.

Garrus groaned and kept firing on the remaining hostiles. He used the scope to get a better look at Syae. She was bleeding from her side. Quite badly too. She had blast wounds all over.

"Javik," he said in the comm. "Get Syae some medi-gel."

"She might not agree with me," Javik gave his opinion.

"Then shoot her and give her some afterwards!" Garrus said with loathing.

"Gladly," the Prothean finished.

Garrus really missed Vega right now. He would love to hear one of those cheap shots.

Grunt and Syae spun around as they fired and laughed maniacally.

Javik slid the last thirty meters off _Normandy_ and landed barely five meters from them. He fired his rifle and killed a jackal that was focusing its shield on Grunt. He ran up to them and stopped.

"Stand still while I administer medi-gel," he told the female.

"I'm great. Don't need any!" She declared.

Javik gritted his teeth.

"I don't believe Shepard will approve if you get killed because of your own ego!"

Syae stopped at the mention of the commander and her gleeful expression changed to a more puppy dog looking one. Javik brought up his Omni-tool.

"Cover us Grunt," he said.

"Gladly!" the Krogan replied gleefully.

Javik administered the medi-gel to the now worried looking carapace covered female.

"Get back to Tali's position," Javik told her.

She nodded and hurried back to the dirt hill she'd abandoned before running off at the first elite she charged into. Javik put a hand on Grunts shoulder.

"Let's go. Back to the others."

Grunt complied instantly.

"I need to reload anyway," he said.

"I'll cover your back," Javik promised. "I'll spare some for you."

"Good!"

On the other side of _Normandy_ Becky put a burst of slugs into a jackal's skull. She was sitting kneeled beside Pierre and Shepard.

Wrex reloaded his Claymore and rushed at the enemy. He screamed aloud and raised his shotgun. The grunts in his way turned and ran as quickly as they could, throwing away their weapons and screaming in absolute panic. His shotgun did good work blasting them down.

From her sniping position, Phoenix was impressed by the giant. He was a good bit bigger than the elites even. For a second she forgot herself and just stared at him through her scope.

Nearby the airlock, a pair of crewmen fired their M-7 Lancers into an elite. They had already brought down the three grunts that came with him. The woman-Cat Riley-ducked behind cover of the airlock. She reloaded while Ben Jade covered her.

He fired his last slugs into the shield and took cover himself. With a new thermal clip, Riley peeked out and spewed out rounds at the elite.

Daniel put a burst of slugs through an elite's eye socket and turned to face the elite firing at the two crewmen in the airlock door. He rushed over and fired burst after burst into the xeno. Using a grenade he lobbed it over.

"Cover!" He told Riley and Jade.

The grenade crippled the elite's shields but not the elite itself. He was bleeding from several places and his right arm just hung. It had been cracked and he couldn't sue it at all.

"Nice man!" Jade exclaimed impressed.

"Keep peppering him!" Daniel told them.

"On your left, Ben! Riley warned. "Look out!"

Ben turned and fired a long burst at a jackal that had managed to make his way around too. He went down with surprising ease.

He looked down and picked up a pair of plasma pistols. He proceeded to aim and fire two bolts. Shooting both Jade and Riley in the back of the head. Execution style. Their limp bodies collapse. Daniel throw the pistols away and sneered at their bloodied corpses.

"Can't trust alien lovers," he said with spite and hatred.

He fired and finally finished off the injured elite.

He looked around to see what was happening. One and three pushed forward together with the alien loving commander, the robot and giant lizard. Meanwhile the hot blue alien woman covered them. He licked his lips. Then he shook his head violently.

"No, no, shut up," he whispered with frustration. "Shut up. Man the fuck up, you ass."

He then ran towards a jackal. The jackal fired the plasma rifle. When Daniel didn't seem to care, the jackal backed away but not quickly enough. Daniel's shields took a beating but he wasn't bothered. He leaped at the xeno and bashed his head in with his bare hands. Be continued punching long after the skull were smashed unrecognizably.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed down and smiled. He stood up and grabbed his MA5.

Shepard fired a single round into the last grunt in sight.

"Clear," Garrus called.

" _Clear, sir,"_ two said in the com-link.

"Confirmed. Come out and join us two," Becky said.

Shepard stood up and looked at Becky.

"Well. That was fun. We get a look at your friend in the trees now?"

Phoenix strolled out calmly.

"I hope there aren't more around," she told Becky. "I'm running low of ammo."

"We'll resupply soon," the commander assured.

"So, Sphinx one," Shepard said, having picked up on that they used the number in combat. "Where were we before we got interrupted?"

Becky looked at her for a moment.

"If your story is true or not, you've proven you're no friend to the Covenant and I think I can trust you to have my back in battle," she said honestly. "I'm going to inform my superior."

Shepard nodded.

Becky took a few steps away.

Garrus came up to Shepard in the meantime. He had a hard expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Shepard, Syae. She went off the rail and nearly got herself and potentially the rest of us killed."

Shepard got a furious look on her face. She started marching towards where the Aey'Syyon female stood. Javik and Grunt both took a few steps out of the way. Mordin was sitting by the two dead crewmen.

Syae flinched when she saw Shepard marching towards her with hard and angry steps. She considered herself to be pretty much the toughest girl around but when it came to an angry Shepard, she was a scared little puppy.

Shepard eyed her for a moment. Her wounds was healed but she had scars all over. They'd heal soon too but they showed how bad it had been.

The commander stopped right in front of her and stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking!" She snapped, while trying to keep it on an almost normal level.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized. "I-I'm sorry! Didn't think. It just happened. I'm sorry, Shepard."

She didn't even look Shepard in the eyes, but down at the ground.

"The next time you pull something like that I swear to god…I…I don't even know what I'm gonna do!"

Syae nodded swiftly and fiddled with her fingers.

"I'm sorry." She looked at Garrus. "Sorry."

The Turian nodded slowly.

"I just don't wanna see you get yourself hurt," he said honestly. "We get scared for you when you do that shit."

She nodded sadly.

"Shepard," Mordin said with a hard and sad voice.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Lost Riley and Jade," he explained with sorrow in every word.

Shepard looked down at the two corpses. She closed her eyes hard.

Tali stepped forward.

"I'm sorry," she said with guilt. "The bosh'tet slipped around me. I couldn't hold them all." She looked at the others for forgiveness of some kind.

"No," Shepard said firmly before anyone could say anything. "It wasn't your fault." She put a hand on Tali's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "It was nobody's fault. You were alone. You couldn't have stopped all of them. You shouldn't have been alone."

She then walked away towards the Spartans.

Syae's eyes widened at Shepard's words. They dug deep into her heart. She stared in horror at the corpses of Jade and Riley. It was her fault. Every bit of it. They died because of her recklessness.

Nobody said anything, although most or all of them had certainly realized what Shepard's words insinuated.

Liara put a comforting hand on Syae's shoulder.

"Commander Shepard," Becky said. "General Warfield informed me he'd be happy to meet with you."

"I'd be happy to meet him too," Shepard replied with a hard and cold tone.

"He has detected several other Covenant forces in this area. It is likely the Covenant is going to launch another attack on your ship in time. I presume it is unable to fly at this time."

Shepard turned to look over her shoulder at her ship.

"That's correct."

"He wants to send troopers to secure the area and your ship. With your permission they will establish a camp here around your ship and help defend it until it is flightworthy again," Becky finished.

It was a surprisingly kind offer. Daniel was furious over it but kept it bottled up.

"He wants our permission to land troops on your planet?" Wrex asked confused.

"Assumable he will want to be on good terms with us since we now have a common enemy and placing troops around Normandy without the good grace of Commander Shepard would not accomplish this goal," EDI iterated.

"Huh. Make sense," Wrex said plainly.

"That's about it," Becky confirmed. "Commander?"

Shepard nodded.

"I agree to it."

Becky nodded and started speaking into her com-link again.


	6. Chapter 6 A matter of trust

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 6 A matter of trust

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Wrex, Javik and Liara had helped Mordin carry their fallen comrades down to the cargo bay. Mordin asked Chakwas to investigate their bodies while he had looked over the scene where they fell. Something didn't add up to the Salarian doctor. Chakwas would investigate them in a sealed off corner of the cargo bay. The squad of aliens that they fought, the position of the aliens, position of Riley and Jade, the position of the two plasma pistols he believed ended their lives. It didn't all add up.

Syae was sitting leaned against the bulkhead outside the airlock when he walked outside. She hadn't slept at all tonight. Mordin felt sorry for the guilt that weighed on her mind. He wasn't sure it was hers to carry. Until Chakwas report, he didn't want to mention anything. Not until he knew.

Mordin had spent the night working on finding a way up upgrade their shields. It hadn't been easy. They didn't have any technology on board that would halt a plasma glob. After around five-seven hours he'd stopped and talked to Pierre, the friendliest Spartan. They had shields that worked to stop plasma too. But the Spartan hadn't been willing to assist, he was worried about giving away UNSC military secrets to these unknowns. Mordin pointed out that their mission of cooperation and future friendship would be greatly at risk if they were to die in battle because their shields proved useless.

Pierre had just shrugged and contacted command. Specifically Warfield. He'd been livid for a moment, yelling at the Spartan for the outrageous idea. He pointed out that ONI would hate it, which was probably his bestselling point in the end. Warfield was unlike any officer Pierre had ever met before. So much more reasonable. Even with the unreasonable. Maybe it was because of the invasion taking place at this very moment. So Spartan 231 gave Professor Solus his technical expertise, since scanning the armors was completely off-limits. After a number of hours they had a working prototype. Pierre offered to test it in practice, which meant Mordin would shoot him with a plasma pistol. With all simulations ending in success already, they tested it, and found it successful.

The Salarian scientist handed Syae the improved shield tech. She was happily surprised and her mood improved ever so slightly.

Shepard had spent the night with Becky, going over who the heck the Covenant were and why they tried to kill her on sight. She also found out that the planet was under siege. Covenant had landed on many locations, but for now, in numbers they could mostly handle. But the UNSC fleet was getting pommeled up in orbit. It was a full scale fleet engagements dependent on attrition. Both sides were taking casualties, but the Covenant could handle the losses better than the UNSC.

Apart from official information on the Covenant, nothing was passed on to Shepard and her crew. Which she found understandable, especially since held back on the Reapers. Even though they were gone, it was probably for the best to not mention the giant killer space squids that annihilated galaxies for a living. Their story was a tough pill to swallow already.

Pierre strolled over to Phoenix who stood on the edge of the valley below. She was keeping an eye out for incoming Covenant.

"Everything still quite?" He asked.

His Spartan teammate nodded.

"Well good. We wait for reinforcements then, just sit tight."

She glanced at him.

"You need something?" She asked with disinterest.

"Nah," he waved her off.

She turned back to the horizon.

"What you think of our alien comrades?" He asked casually.

The rolled her eyes.

"I don't have an opinion of them. I'm a soldier. A weapon. Just point and I kill."

"You're still human. Still alive," he said plainly. "Everyone's got an opinion. Come on girl."

"Don't call me girl."

"Then answer my question. Girl. Girlie."

He was certain she was glared through her helmet. A glare of death.

"I don't like them. Nor trust them."

He stepped up to her side.

"Not one bit? Don't you find them a little friendly?"

She cocked her head and looked at him.

"I think you might be a little bit too chummy with 'em," she said with a disagreeing voice. "They're aliens and we're fighting an alien invasion."

"So?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Not the same xenos. These are from another dimension."

She laughed mockingly.

"You actually believe that?" She shook her head. "It sounds fantastic and would explain a lot if true but…too convenient. An answer that answers all our concerns at once."

"You prefer not having the answers?" He argued. "Everything isn't a conspiracy. Just because every alien we've met wants to kill us, doesn't mean they're all bad." He titled his head with a shrug. "Well, yeah. All that want to kill us are bad but, maybe not everyone we haven't met. You get me?"

"Right, their friendly up till they shoot us in the back," she mocked.

Pierre didn't like her tone.

"You sound like Daniel, you know that?" He scowled.

She scoffed and shifted her position uncomfortably.

"I'm not that unreasonable," she said with a shrug.

She lowered the sniper rifle in her hands slightly.

"I disagree."

"Well…maybe…he's right this time."

"I don't believe you think that," Pierre said honestly. "Daniel's my man, you know? Best damn shot around. One of the four best at least, but he's a real xenophobe. No empathy."

"Part of why he ended up in the Spartan III program I bet," Phoenix theorized. "No empathy, no sympathy. For enemy or fellow soldiers. Best super soldier." She added a sigh in the end. She liked Daniel, but she wasn't that much like him, was she? She didn't want to be at least.

If she could chose to be stranded on a hostile alien planet with someone he would be her second pick. Commander was the first. Always.

 **New Australia, military HQ, Admiral Geraldino's office**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Phillipe Geraldino gave the report a quick read. He didn't approve of Warfield's decision to allow UNSC technological expertise to be used to upgrade the personal shields of these…unknowns. He clearly needed to have a serious talk with the good general. He did-however-agree that they should divert s small amount of army troopers to defend the crashed Frigate, and provide materials and equipment necessary to make it flight ready again. If the Covenant wanted it, they couldn't let them. They had to keep it out of the covies hands.

He looked up from his chair.

"Sparta."

The blue little armored warrior appeared on the holotank next to his desk.

"Yes, sir?"

"Can you give me anything specific on those other objects that crashed about the time this, commander, did?"

"Unfortunately we didn't get a clear reading on what they were. Could have been asteroids simply," the AI replied. "Or wrecks of destroyed ships."

"Somehow I doubt it."

"All three were several kilometers long each," she informed him. "We're lucky we detected anything at all given that we're fighting a war and Covenant ships were landing here and there."

He nodded slowly.

"How goes the search?"

"Two of the marine Platoons you send has arrived. 1st encountered Covenant and are currently engaged. The 2nd aren't responding to communication attempts anymore."

Geraldino looked straight at her.

"What? Do we know why? Could it be Covenant jamming?"

"Possibly. It is conceivable that if it is a ship, the interference might come from it," Sparta said solemnly. "Oh yeah, something else."

"Yes?"

"General Montgomery is rather displeased with your use of his marines to, in his words, 'look at space rocks'."

Geraldino chuckled lightly.

He wasn't remotely surprised by Montgomery's disapproval.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," he said in a far better mood then before.

"Catch ya later, my lord."

"Sparta," he scowled softly.

She just giggled and flickered out of existence.

 **New Australia, Normandy crash site**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Garrus watched while Shepard talked with EDI, Tali and Mordin. She was discussing an important fact. Their shields. Normandy's barriers couldn't withstand a plasma blast from a Covenant capital ship. They'd be pulverized after a maximum of two or three shots. The armor would howl for a short while, unless a Battlecruiser or something hit them straight on. In that case, it be over in one shot. She wanted them to come up with a drastic improvements of their current shields so they could withstand plasma. She'd leave for that meeting in half an hour or so, so she would bring it up with General…what was it? Something with war. Warhouse, Warcross, no, no. Oh-Warfield! Yes that was it.

She would-anyway-bring it up, if the opportunity was right. She didn't want to push immediately, right off the bat for technology. They had to win their trust and give something in return first.

Garrus gaze turned to one of the Spartans. Pierre. He had offered aid in repairing superficial and none-essential parts. He focused on making the corridors livable. He helped a crewmember. Wells, Thomas Wells, to wield the CIC ceiling back together. The other male Spartan, Daniel, wasn't happy with his assistance and showed it by arguing with Pierre in a silent corner. Of course nothing was silent on board with EDI literally knowing everything and everyone on board. He was acting quite unlike the other Spartans, but Garrus didn't pay it too much attention. He had every right to be suspicious of them.

"Hey, Garrus," he heard a familiar voice.

He turned around for a happy surprise.

"Kaiden, up and about already," he said, walking over.

"Chakwas let me out early," Kaiden explained. "She have patients needing more attention than me."

"Yeah," Garrus said somberly. "Those were the lucky ones." He paused for a moment. "You filled in?"

Kaiden nodded.

"I, eh, saw Private Campbell and Ensign Sulu working on the Memorial wall," Kaiden mentioned somberly. Garrus nodded with a somber look himself. "Adding the new names?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a heavy voice. He lowered his head. "Guess, walls gonna be full soon enough."

Kaiden looked away from him, towards Shepard.

"War does that, huh." He looked back at the Turian. "How's she doing?"

"Not so well. Needs a break." Garrus shot off from the wall and took a step forward, to his human comrade. "Stressed to the limit during the Reaper war, now? Haven't had a chance to really cool down." They both looked over at the commander. "But she can't give herself a break because there's a new war coming up."

Kaiden decided to change the subject.

"What you think 'bout this dimension theory?"

Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"I trust Liara. She says this is the best idea, I'm game. All the way."

That was enough for Kaiden and he just nodded understandingly.

"Oh, hey. Heard you guys scavenged a bunch of alien weapons," he said with interest.

"Yeah. We might need 'em. Mordin and Tali wants to rebuild the armory when everything's up and running. With some luck, we can start manufacturing our own thermal clips, with some resources shared from the UNSC of course. If not, we might need some plasma weapons to shore up our arsenal. It's also a bargaining point for Shepard. I bet the UNSC would love some Covenant weaponry to look at."

"Bet Tali's a bit excited about the tech."

Garrus chuckled aloud.

"Oh hell yes."

"Well, I better look over my armor." He gave the Turian a friendly pat on the shoulder and headed into the elevator again.

"Gonna wear the Dragon blood armor next?" Garrus asked.

"Gotta admit, I look badass in it."

Garrus tilted his head back.

"Shepard does, you? Not so sure."

Kaiden chuckled.

"Looks who's talking. You wear the same armor as ever Turian I've ever met."

Garrus looked down on himself.

"It's not that similar," he defended.

Kaiden made a gesture he couldn't hear him and closed the elevator doors. Garrus shook his head at the hopeless man.

Shepard came over a few minutes later. She headed for the elevator.

"Going somewhere beautiful?" Garrus asked with his no-existent romantic abilities. He knew it probably sounded lame as hell.

Shepard turned around and looked at him with a blank expression. It said it all.

Well you tried, he told himself.

"I know, I know," he waved her off and stepped over to her. "I'm just trying to cheer you up or something."

"Though I appreciate it, it'll have to wait. I have to change before I leave for the meeting," she said plainly.

"We got twenty minutes or so before those UNSC ships get here. Why not relax. Everybody's pretty much working. Which means-"

"Which means I have to work to. I'm the damned CO of-"

"And," he interrupted with a talon raised into the air. "As the ships CO, you get to decide to take a break." He arched his eyebrows. "Aye?"

She smiled slightly, but didn't bite.

"No time, Garrus. Later."

She then walked into the elevator.

The Turian was left to sigh. Well he tried. Probably could have used a better opening line. Something less lame and retarded sounding.

Becky felt as if time went through slower than normal as she paced around outside. A part of her wanted to keep an eye on Daniel. He hadn't been acting as a professional lately. He had tried picking fights with three aliens this far. Thankfully he had fallen in line, but something was clearly very wrong. First he went after the engineer, Tali, then the giant lizard in red armor and last the professor, whatever his name was. She didn't remember all their names.

He didn't need to make friends but as long as he didn't go off the rails and do something stupid. She understood a tiny part of why he was off today. He was born here. It was his planet. His people. Now the coves was invading. Starting anyway.

One thing she couldn't get off her mind was those physical powers she had seem some of the crew use. She had never seen anything like it. The Covenant had no defense again them. She'd gone over it slightly with Shepard, but she had just told her: No you can get or use them. End of conversation.

"Sir, got Falcons incoming," Phoenix informed.

"Thank you. Get back here," Becky told her. She turned around and saw Daniel was locking eyes with the carapace covered female with sharp talons and tendrils as hair. She sighed and walked over to Daniel.

"Four," she said sharply. "Last warning."

He snapped to attention. Becky turned her head to Syae.

"Tell your commander our ride's here."

Syae gave Daniel a last glare and scurried back into the ship.

"You back off these people Daniel," Becky warned him. "I don't care if you like them or not. We have our orders from the general."

"I don't trust them commander," he told her.

"Neither to I really, but that goes both ways. Remember that." She walked away from him, looking at the flacons coming in to land. "Hell, we could use these people to defend New Australia. These…biotic powers can change the war if we had an army with them."

She counted five of them, filled with men certainly. Daniel stared after her. A short moment when by before Shepard came out. She was going herself for a more friendly approach, and wore her greyish military uniform, with sleeved pulled up to her elbows. She wanted the UNSC to be used to her having an alien crew, so she brought aliens with her. Liara and Mordin seemed a good choice. Not as threatening as a Krogan and with a friendly demeanor and they were the best to bring to a negotiation, given their knowledge and intelligence.

Becky's team was rounding up for departure.

As the Falcons landed, army troopers jumped up. Becky was saluted by a respectful and friendly officer, and exchanged a few words. The troopers was taken aback by the aliens they saw. They all knew they were going into a situation with friendly aliens, but nothing else. It was a total shock for them to actually be there.

Zaeed looked at their expressions of mistrust, shock, fear and awe.

"Pfft, this'll be fun," he muttered.

Shepard met Becky.

"Commander."

"Commander. Shall we?"

Shepard nodded.

"You first."

Becky waved her team on board one of the falcons and Shepard, Liara and Mordin picked another one. Becky figured they should have some kind of privacy without four Spartans listening in on every word before they reached the base.

"Hope you know what you're doing, Jane," Garrus said honestly over the comm.

Shepard looked down on him as the Falcon lifted off.

"So do I," she replied tiredly.


	7. Chapter 7 Opportunity

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 7 Opportunity

 **New Australia, Airbase Poseidon**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Shepard, Liara and Mordin had flown for a number of hours since they left _Normandy_. They had been going through what they needed to discuss with the UNSC delegation they were going to meet. They needed a chain of supplies, specifically medical, food and potentially weapons. But also equipment to keep Normandy up and running once the repairs were done. They could use some form of treaty or alliance, and, a slipspace drive as they called it. Otherwise they'd be stuck without the ability of FTL. It would limit them significantly.

In return they could offer some of their weaponry for UNSC to copy and manufacture and the use of mass effect in weaponry, offer them to upgrade to thermal clips. Medi-gel was also high up on the list for possibilities to provide the UNSC with, and the most important thing they could offer was really themselves, their skills in combat. To fight together against the Covenant. Unfortunately, the last was the only alternative that was quick enough to offer now. With the Covenant on their doorstep the UNSC would certainly be looking for a quick way to gain a tactical advantage from them. An alliance of sorts would give them that.

Hell Shepard had figured that after fighting Saren and his Geth, the Collectors, and the Reapers, the Covenant would be a cakewalk in comparison. None of these was still around in their universe. She could probably give the Covenant a bloody nose in a near future.

"We're landing, ma'am," the female pilot informed them.

"Thank you," Shepard said.

"Never flown aliens before," the pilot continued. "First for everythin' I guess. Kinda figure you might try an' kill me."

"Glad to disappoint," Liara said, slightly unnerved. Not by the pilot but what they were going to do soon.

The pilot laughed at her remark.

"Setting her down. Enjoy Poseidon!"

"Appreciated, good luck in future flights," Mordin said as he stepped outside.

Shepard looked around the tarmac. It was filled with activity. People and ships filled it. A squadron of aero fighters-Shepard believe they were bombers, by design-were about to take off. She saw Fireteam Sphinx had landed before them and they were walked towards what appeared to be barracks. Debrief or resupply Shepard assumed. Perhaps booth.

Her eye caught eight soldiers marching towards them. An officer walked with them. He wore what appeared to be a more official dress uniform. Its black color went together with the black armored men behind him. She recognized him as a spook right away.

"They look…unfriendly," Liara observed.

"Certainly do," Shepard agreed.

"Hopefully not walking into trap," Mordin said.

They walked towards the armed entourage and met them half way. The soldiers were all armed with rifles.

"Commander Shepard," the man said in a polite tone. "I am Pontus Kaan. Office of Naval Intelligence, or ONI, for short."

"Pleasure," Shepard replied. "Decent escort you got us."

He smiled slightly wider.

"We have to proceed with caution with an alien invasion ongoing," he explained. "At the same time, meeting friendly xenos, seems…doubtful. Call me paranoid if you wish."

Shepard returned a forced smile.

"Follow me," Kaan gestured.

He turned around and started walking back across the tarmac. The soldiers divided, two walked with him and the rest spread out around the _Normandy_ delegation. Shepard and hers felt more like POWs than anything else. More than a few pilots, flight crew and soldiers on the tarmac stared at Liara and Mordin. The Asari felt uncomfortable with all the stares coming her way.

They followed Kaan and his men through boring grey hallways and corridors, encountering people along the way that stared in shock and awe. More than a few eyes were ogling Liara, to her annoyance and discomfort. To be fair they had probably not seen a lot of alien women, Liara figured, none who wasn't trying to kill them anyway. She pondered if the Covenant allowed female combatants. They hadn't seen any this far. It usually wasn't acceptable in fanatical macho cultures. The Covenant didn't really sound like a place with an open opinion of women in general. She doubted they actually held any real power.

They finally arrived in a room with a semi-circular silver metal table. A pair of men in dark green armor stood guard outside, each having only a pistol in a holster. Unlike the black armored guards, these men had helmets that didn't completely cover their faces. It was the same armor as the troopers back at _Normandy_.

"Ah, Commander Shepard," an African-American man said with a more merry voice then Kaan's demeanor. He throw a disapproving eye on the heavily armed soldiers surrounding the Normandy delegation. He glared at Kaan, then at an office beside him. the man just stared back coolly.

The man-whom Shepard suspected was Warfield-waved the armored men out.

"Leave," he told them. His eyes were narrowed and quickly intensified.

The soldiers left.

"I apologize for the welcome committee," he said honestly.

"It was a security precaution," the man beside him said plainly. "In fact, I don't think you should have dismissed-"

He didn't get any further until Warfield interrupted him. He turned to him and whispered.

"Watch your tongue, colonel," he warned him. "We're under Winter Contingency. ONI has no authority over these events. Remember that." He turned to Shepard. "Please, have a seat."

Shepard noted the obvious rift between the military and ONI. It may be something to look further into in the future.

"I am General Mathew Warfield, this is Colonel Estaban Rodrigez, the ONI presence on this base," he introduced himself and the men around him. "This is Colonel John Dempsey, ODST."

"ODST?" Mordin inquired.

"Orbital Drop Shock Troopers," Dempsey filled them in in a friendly and open voice. "I am in command over the majority of ODSTs planetside currently."

"Many acronyms in human society," Mordin noted.

"I am Commander Jane Shepard," the commander introduced herself. "This is Liara T'Soni and Professor Mordin Solus." She decided to add the obvious question. "Liara is from a race called Asari and Mordin's a Salarian."

"Salarian and Asari," Dempsey rolled it on his tongue.

Warfield decided to get this meeting started.

"I've read the report from Sphinx one, on your dimension hoping," he started. "You understand many here find that a tough nut to crack."

Shepard nodded.

"I do. But it's the theory we believe makes the most sense."

"Such as?" Dempsey inquired.

"For example the time different of four centuries, give or take a few decades," Liara tried to explain in a simple manner. It was her theory after all. "The difference in society and human technology and alien encounters. Although technology could be surmised down to time travel, which was our other theory, but it didn't explain everything. Technology can evolve fast with time, certainly over decades and ever more so over centuries. From my understanding human encounter with alien life was somewhat similar to some extent in both universes."

"Really?" Warfield said. "In this, other dimension, your first alien encounter resulted in war?"

"Our first contact with aliens was the Turians," Shepard explained. "We were activating a Mass relay, which was a big law break to the aliens out there, so they attacked our ships and chased them back to Shanxi, a colony of ours. First they bombarded it into submission. Earth retaliated by attacking and freeing it. Countless lives were lost on both sides." She paused and leaned forward. "While both sides began arming for war, the Asari-" she gestured to Liara. "-her people stepped in and brokered a peace treaty before more lives were lost. We shortly after that joined the intergalactic community."

Warfield was greatly intrigued-no matter if it was true or not.

"So, you had no ill will to these, Turians?" He asked with disbelief. He couldn't imagine that.

"Or they to you?" Dempsey added.

Shepard nodded simply.

"Not anymore. Both sides made mistakes, and we have accepted that and moved on. That was about thirty years ago, not unlike your own, I understand."

Warfield nodded.

"We're closing in on big thirty. I'll be honest Shepard. I'm having a hard time understanding some of this. I could never imagine forgiving the covies for slaughtering our people. But then again, yours wasn't nearly as long as ours. You people are the first friendly aliens any human have ever seen."

Rodrigez was more interested in another point.

"Can you prove in any way that you are from another dimension?" He said with an almost mocking tone.

"No," Shepard said honestly.

Warfield appreciated her honestly, but it didn't make it easier since she had no proof of her claims. But right now he didn't need proof. He needed manpower to fight the Covenant, and this aliens might fit the bill.

"This history lesson is good and all…" Rodrigez interjected. "…but let us talk about what you can do for us."

"Colonel," Warfield growled.

"I have no objection to that," Shepard assured.

Warfield then decided to allow it, he was also curious although he didn't want to be so forward yet.

"We both have something we can negotiate for. We require equipment to repair our ship completely, in time supplies as well. Including specific sustenance for certain member of my crew. Our ship needs a Slipspace drive, since Mass relays doesn't appear to exist here."

Rodrigez looked oppose to every bit of it.

"And what could you offer in return?" Warfield asked, straight to the point.

"We may have weapons models you might be interested in, to give to a slight advantage against the Covenant. Add to that something we call Medi-gel. Medi-gel can heal a person right on the spot, depending on injuries, like everything, it had limits. After the Covenant attack, we have an amount of their weaponry, which we'd be happy to give to you."

The last few parts was especially interested to the UNSC officers.

Rodrigez leaned back in his chair. The general was foolishly falling right into the commander's hands. Like always he was being an idiot. He had to contact Colonel Prescott about this. With the future of humanity at stake they couldn't leave it in the hands of the military brass. They'd run mankind into the toilette. No, their future laid squarely in ONIs hands. The true protectors of Earth and humanity.

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Syae was sitting on a rock on the side of _Normandy_ with a drawing pad placed firmly on her knees. She held a pencil gently and stroked the paper carefully. She looked up at occasion to get a look at the crashed ship before looking back down again. She wasn't even bothered by the glances from the troopers. They made sure to keep their distance from her. At least a few meters at all times.

She completely ignored them. The stares and whispers. Off course they we keeping an eye on all the alien crewmembers.

As she continued sketching she hoped over the troopers that Was in her way. She didn't want them in her sketch. Her sketch was that of the crashed _Normandy_. She was trying to add Wrex since he was standing by the airlock. It was her third time trying to draw him in. She frowned and used the pencils rubber to redo his face.

"Frag it," she muttered. "How hard is a Krogan to draw?"

She went in for her fourth attempt. As she looked up momentarily she saw he had moved slightly, growling in response. Tali made an appearance and strolled over towards her. She couched slightly when she stopped in front of Syae casually.

"Tali."

"How are you doing, Syae?" The Quarian asked.

"Great," Syae said, looking down at her sketchbook.

Tali raised her head in an attempt to peek at what she was drawing.

" _Normandy_?"

"Yup."

Tali was silent for a moment.

"Can I see?" She then asked cheerfully.

Her alien friend turned the sketchbook and titled it up. Tali was impressed. By her estimates the ship looked pretty much finished. The trees in the background were drawn in, but Wrex looked kind of half-assed.

She looked at him over her shoulder.

"I'm not finished with him yet," Syae commented, taking offence.

"I didn't say anything," Tali answered defensively.

"You were thinking it." She had a frown on her face.

Tali quietly looked at her for about thirty seconds.

"It wasn't really your fault," she tried reassuring her.

Syae didn't look up from her sketchbook, just kept drawing Wrex.

Tali sighed.

"I don't blame you one bit," she told her softly. "Syae look at me, okay?"

She didn't.

"Leave," she muttered.

Instead, Tali adamantly sat down beside her on the rocks. She heard Syae growl in disapproval. But Tali wasn't moving. She didn't say anything either for a while. Both sat quietly as a light breeze moved in. Tali didn't feel a thing, but Syae took a deep breath. She was trying to get Wrex's face right, but like the real thing, it wasn't doing what she wanted.

"How do you think Shepard's going?" Tali asked after a while.

"Good."

Tali kept an eye roll back. Syae was being really hard to deal with. Nothing new there. She decided to try later and got up.

"I'm gonna get back to engineering."

"See ya."

"You hungry?"

"No."

"Okay," she accepted.

Tali left her sitting by herself with her sketchbook. She walked by Wrex at the airlock.

"She's okay?" He asked.

"Not really," the mechanic said honestly.

"Might not have been her fault, ya know," he said, straightening himself.

What?" Tali was confused. "What do you mean, specifically I mean?"

The Krogan nodded to the airlock.

"Chakwas told Garrus she wanted to show him something that might clear Syae."

Tali lighted up. She hurried inside to find the good doctor and Garrus. From the elevator she took it down to the cargo bay and made her way to the area Chakwas was in. Garrus was there too, looking somberly at the bodies of Riley and Jade.

He noticed Tali showing up and gave a nod.

"I heard Syae's in the clear," she quickly said.

"Remains to be seen," Garrus said.

Chakwas smiled slightly at Tali's hopes to help her friend.

"As I just told Garrus," Chakwas reiterated. "They were shot in the back of the head while holding the airlock. That's an important part, the airlock. They were standing inside the airlock when they died."

"Holding to the end," Garrus mused somberly. "Real soldiers."

"There are no forensically evidence to prove or disprove that they were killed by a Covenant soldier. An elite, I'd imagine from my small knowledge on them," Chakwas continued.

Garrus and Tali listened intrigued.

"What…are you saying?" Garrus asked suspiciously.

"Given the angle of their kill shots, at least someone a feet taller than them shot them. Quite possibly more. Ruling out grunts and jackals given their height." She gestured to a pair of plasma pistols. "They were lying right there, behind them. The assailant dropped them after committing the act." She looked back at Garrus and Tali. "I can't imagine an elite dropping his weapons in the middle of a firefight. No soldier would do that."

Tali stared at her and Garrus, looking composed, still suspicious and shocked.

"Are, you saying an elite didn't kill them," he said.

"It doesn't make sense. But if someone who wasn't using plasma pistols were responsible, it made sense to drop the weapons afterwards."

Tali turned to Garrus.

"Did…did a Spartan kill them?" He hesitantly asked.

"Unless you suspect a Normandy crewmember," Chakwas replied steadfast.

"Oh spirits."

"Keelah," Tali breathed in shock.

"You can thank Mordin when he gets back," Chakwas told them. "He sniffed out that something wasn't adding up. It was all his doing that I discovered this."

Back outside a trooper kept eying Syae. His comrade beside him looked to him.

"Why don't you just ask her out," Matias suggested teasingly.

The other glared at him.

"What? Come on man. You can't say she ain't hot," he claimed.

"She's scary is what she is."

"Yeah. And really hot. I mean, seriously."

Matias shook his head.

"If I'd bang one of these alien chicks, I'd take someone less likely to kill me in the middle of the act."

His comrade arched his eyebrows.

"But what an act it'd be, aye?" He replied excitedly.

"Nah, I can't even see anywhere to stick it in. Can you even get through the scales?"

"Those aren't scales," Hamilton said steadfastly. "Carapace man."

"Whatever. Still don't see any."

"Beneath you moron!" Hamilton said defensively. "Maybe it retracts."

Matias furrowed his eyebrows.

"How do you know that?" He looked over at the xeno female. "Have…have you already…Jesus bro-"

"Off course not." He looked at the hot female. "Nobody's talked to either her or the lizard since we arrived."

"Fucking surprise. They're both scary as fuck," Matias chuckled greatly amused.

Hamilton opened his ration package. He frowned at what he saw. He couldn't tell what half the stuff was. No thank, the mess hall. At least they got food that could be recognized as food.

Matias sipped from his water.

"If I had to say one, I'd pick that blue one that left when we got here, and the red haired woman, they were both attractive," Matias proclaimed.

"Not like her," Hamilton countered back. "Just look at those hips, that ass."

"And all the carapace," Matias rolled his eyes. "Least have some perspective. Less hot ass and more, eyes, hair, humor and personality. You know?"

Hamilton focused of the carapace alien's tendril-like hair.

"I'm not sure about her hair," he admitted. "Silver eyes, I dig those."

Another trooper came over to join them. She was a woman with light brown hair and a pair of gently light grey eyes. She sat down in front of them.

"What you doin' boys?" She asked with a smile.

They were both hesitant to reply.

"Just talking about the, ah…xenos," Matias replied first.

"Yeah, yeah!" Hamilton was quick to add.

She nodded and looked over her shoulder at the carapace alien with the sketchbook.

"I wonder what she's drawin' over there?" She promptly said. "What ya think?"

"Donno," Hamilton shrugged.

"Maybe us?" She suggested.

"I doubt that corporal," Matias said.

She just shrugged.

"Maybe," then she arched her eyebrows. "She's kinda hot though, eh? In a scary way."

"Exactly!" Hamilton exclaimed. "Someone understands!"

"Ya bet, Hammy. Just look at that body."

Matias shook his head. He could swear half the army was sex starved horny maniacs. Given how few women there were in the UNSC it made sense to some extent. But not in this case. Not their platoon. The 6th Platoon had a woman. Off course was thankful the unit's male counterparts didn't all sexualize her. It would make operations a bit harder if one of their officers was sexualized by everyone. But usually women got easier duties in the military, such as piloting Falcons, Pelicans and other aircrafts. There were tons of women pilots, way more than women soldiers in the field.

"Aren't you on duty?" Matias asked. "Shouldn't you be looking for covies?"

"Relax," she waved him off. "I'm off duty, lunch. Besides I haven't seen any covies around since we got here. There busy invading someplace else."

Matias didn't like her casual tone.

"Hey I happen to live on this planet! People are dying all over," he spat with narrowed eyes.

Hamilton was surprised by his comrades' outburst. As was the Lance Corporal.

"Relax Matias," she said with a softer voice. "Wasn't meanin' anythin' by it. New Australia's heavily fortified, remember. No way the covies win this time. Our Orbital Weapons Platforms tearin' their dropships to pieces. Half their troops die before touchin' down." She leaned forward. "I heard this mornin' that a new Spartan team was arriving today."

"A second?" Hamilton asked confirmed.

"No way," she whispered. "George in communications back at Poseidon let it slip a team of Spartans was already in orbit, boardin' a Covenant ship or somethin'." She had an impressed tone in her voice.

Hamilton and Matias were both baffled. Three Spartan teams? Assuming it was true.

"It must've taken them weeks, months to travel here," Matias stated. "They must've all been heading here before the covies attacked."

"Maybe they knew. Picked up some intel," Hamilton suggested. "Maybe a mining outpost or something nearby went out and they figured the Covenant was coming."

Matias didn't have a better idea.

"Or…" Desi started. "…maybe they were planning somethin'. Somethin' they needed three teams of Spartans for."

Hamilton and Matias looked at each other.

"What teams?" The latter asked.

Desi just shrugged.

"I don't know. Like I know the names of every squad of Spartans around."

"Fair point," he considered.

"With all these Spartans around, we can't possibly lose," Desi said cockily.

 **New Australia, Airbase Poseidon**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

"I'm not comfortable with letting my crew be integrated without knowing exactly what I'm submitting my ship and crew to," Shepard said steadfastly.

Warfield leaned forward.

"Commander, listen to me, I can understand that, but…if we are to cooperate with each other, my superiors might not give you a choice. Admiral Geraldino isn't the most agreeable man. Plus, it would protect you from certain less trustworthy elements."

The last point was well taken to her. It looked like Rodrigez had picked up on it too. He looked even less happy then before. Since his demand to tear _Normandy_ apart was shot down by Warfield, he hadn't been a happy camper.

"Let's stick to what we can do," Shepard suggested adamantly.

"Very well. If you prove us with this, medi-gel and assist in finding a way for us to manufacture it ourselves, and weapons in your arsenal with a kick to 'em. In return we will provide you with materials to repair your ship, supplies when necessary and also a team of engineers to assist. Naturally they will be under your Chief engineers command when repairing _Normandy_."

"Not forget," Mordin said. "Assist in fight against Covenant. Help UNSC and prove we are trustworthy."

"General stab definitely will need that," Warfield concurred. "Helping us defend this planet, will certainly earn you our trust."

Shepard wasn't sure how long the meeting had been going on. An hour or two at least. Back and forth, back and forth. They still weren't ready to buy there other dimension story but she didn't blame them. In reversed roles, she might not buy it if they claimed something as outrageous as that. It was clear to her that Warfield was rather desperate for her help. The situation must be bad.

She wasn't looking to integrate into the UNSC, but the warning signs about the ONI she'd picked up was well taken. She'd keep an eye on them.

They discussed the biotics next. Shepard was surprised they had held out this long for a prolonged debate though. Naturally they wanted to harness the powers for their own soldiers, but she had to explain that it wasn't possible. Specifically, Liara went over how biotics worked and that you had to be born with them. Adding that the Asari was the only species where it was natural for everyone. It was far rarer amongst humans, Turians, Volus and others in their home dimension. Off course, Warfield and Dempsey were disappointed, but Rodrigez, Shepard didn't think he believed them. She could tell he didn't in fact. He thought they were lying straight through. She doubted anything could convince him of anything they said.

 **Reach, Sword base**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

He scratched his brown hair slightly. It had started going grey a few years ago now. Strains of grey were sticking up here and there. It was inevitable. Age. It was finally getting to him. But with medical treatments, augmentations and implants he had another fifty or sixty years for sure.

A green hologram flickered to life on his desk.

He raised his eyes to look at her.

"Cleopatra," he greeted.

"Good morning sir," she said pleasantly.

She was dressed in a summer dress and had bare feet. Her hair was long and went down her back, passed her butt.

"Mr Kaan has contacted you, sir," she informed him.

"Good. About the _Normandy_ , I presume."

"Yes, sir. He send the report from Spartan Fireteam Sphinx, about first contact."

"And? Did he eliminate Shepard?"

"No," she explained hesitantly. "He says the operative failed. Sir?"

"Yes Cleopatra?"

"May I suggest something, sir?"

"Of course. Always."

"Thank you. Why can't you chose an operative with more…" she looked for the right word. "…stability. One with a more stable mind might have a better chance."

He smiled slightly.

"I can hardly send anyone to deal with Shepard. A simple soldier or assassin couldn't come close to dealing with the good commander," he said with a smile.

"I see."

He raised his cup of coffee and sipped from the steaming cup.

"Did Mr Kaan mention the meeting between Shepard and the UNSC representative?"

"Yes sir, he did. It seems to him-in his opinion-that the meeting went well and cooperation between them and us is highly likely."

He muttered something to himself. "Not us, them."

"Sir?"

"Nothing. I want a transcript of everything said in that meeting."

"I'll inform Mr Kaan, sir. Anything else I should tell him?"

He shook his head.

"No, Cleopatra."

"Very well then, sir."


	8. Chapter 8 Long night

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 8 Long night

 **New Australia, Airbase Poseidon**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

As night was coming the meeting had ended in an agreement, which made Rodrigez furious. Those idiots! Nobody could do anything right anymore.

This was what went through the ONI agents mind as he stormed out of the room.

Warfield had gone back to distributing troopers to where they were most needed. The majority of them were put around cities, towns and villages and military facilities across the planets inhabited zones on the four continents. He just signed an order for a Battalion at half strength to get thrown into combat to contain a Covenant landing zone. They didn't have the manpower to clean it up yet, so their orders were to contain the enemy and commit to skirmish actions and occupy the best strategic positions.

There were currently three major landing zones on New Australia. Two of them-including the he dispatched a Battalion to a moment ago-was contained for the moment. The third was actually being mopped up.

It had been quickly assaulted by army and marine elements on the 20th of April, with aid from the air force and ODSTs they had, throughout the 21st-24th the Covenant had liens had been kicked over and over until they broke and then marines led by ODST detachments swept through and surrounded and wiped out Covenant pockets. On the 25th the landing point itself had been assaulted and at this point in time, the UNSC was sweeping up the remnants of the Covenant presence in the area.

The 20th had been the day the Covenant fleet attacked. But it wasn't until the 23rd that they arrived in real forces. The Joint Chiefs had begun a slow evacuation of civilians on the 22nd. Too late for many innocent civilians planetside though.

"General."

Warfield looked at the young woman.

"A report from Lt. Colonel Emerson of the 109th Battalion, sir."

"Read me the highlights," he requested.

"Very well," she acknowledged, looking down at her datapad. "He is requesting reinforcements to stem the Covenant in the forest around Anju. He is worried about an increase in skirmishes with them. The Covenant seems-to him-to focus their presence around the capital, prelude to an all-out attack perhaps." She looked up. "That's the summery, sir."

"Thank you, corporal."

"Certainly sir."

He grabbed his own datapad and skimmed through it to see what was available to aid the colonel. The 109th, 34th and 112th Battalions was the capital city's only defense. Three thousand men could not stem an all-out Covenant offensive of ground, heavy vehicles and air forces. With millions of people in Anju, they could not allow it to fall. No covie presence could be allowed.

His mind immediately went to Spartans. He had a team on hand. Sphinx was available and Commander Becky was always aching for a fight. Four Spartans could definitely get the job done, but could they in time? It depended on how many enemies was in the area and how fortified they were. Was this a time to put Shepard's people into it maybe?

It hated to do it but, he needed the commander and her people, so he had to hold her wrist a bit to force her hand if she wasn't convinced to comply. Personally he liked her. A strong woman that commanded respect and authority in those around her. But his person believes and feelings on the matter was irrelevant and if he needed to, he'd force her to accept. The Joint Chiefs wouldn't be as friendly or understanding as he had been.

His mind turned to what the Covenant was looking for. Usually they just glassed planets that weren't of use to them. Planets without Forerunner artifacts. They were actually trying vehemently to invade. But one never knew with the covies, maybe they just felt like slaughtering innocents in person this time. One could never know with them. A part of him suspected they were after Normandy, but that didn't seem like enough of a reason, besides, they started way before Shepard's people crashed. So that theory was pointless.

He returned to his work. Next on the list, oh yes, transferring forces to keep the shipyards safe. They had several ships under construction. One of them being a Heavy Carrier. He groaned. He didn't have a lot to spare. He knew the marines were holding back forces to counter a sudden major Covenant offensive. Why couldn't Montgomery send a Regiment or two? The army was spread out enough already.

In the end Warfield managed to scrunch up five Platoons from different Battalions and organized them into one cohesive force to dispatch. It wasn't a lot, but had to be enough.

Rodrigez waited impatiently for his superior to respond. He had immediately returned to his office after the meeting and was currently trying to get a hold of Prescott. He was the head of ONI on New Australia. He wrote his official report just before making this transmission. He finally responded and appeared on the other side of the screen.

"Colonel," he said, rather displeased with the call timing. "What is it? You included everything in your report, didn't you?"

"Off course," Rodrigez assured. "I just sent it in."

"Good. I'm going to look it over when in the coming few hours."

"I wanted to speak with you directly about this Normandy situation," Rodrigez explained.

Prescott sat up straight.

"They reached an agreement?"

"An idiotic one. We're neither taking the ship or its crew into custody. Warfield blocked us."

Prescott sneered angrily.

"Damn him. I'm certain he already has the Joint Chiefs on his side," he grumbled. "That means we lose access to their technology and whatever resources we could get to defend against the Covenant." He cracked his knuckles. "Working with xenos. Idiots."

"Sir, we have to act," Rodrigez argued. "Before they allow this xenos and turncoats to turn and bring the planet into Covenant hands."

Prescott was silent for a moment.

"Before we do anything, I have to contact the Director."

Rodrigez stood up from his desk in protest.

"We don't have the time for that!"

Prescott stared steadfast at him.

"I admire your…patriotism…to humanity, Estaban," he told him honestly. "But in this case, we must look to the chain of command. It's too much at stake not to. Besides, I'm certain the Director will see the truth, unlike the military brass running humanity into the ground."

"Sir, I understand," Rodrigez said. "But…I think we need to act, in the best interests of mankind and ONI. We should-"

"Colonel," Prescott warned with narrowed eyes. "DO. NOT. DO. ANYTHING. Do you understand? You will do NOTHING. Is that clear?" He leaned closer to the screen, focusing on the colonel. "We wait for the director's decision."

With that Prescott closed the channel.

Rodrigez loathed as he sat back down. His mind was filling with rage. When had Prescott become such a stupid fool? He was betraying the cause. Turning his back to humanity. Damn idiot couldn't stand in the way. Humanity had to survive. It was up to him to protect humanity and if necessary…deal with those in his way. With deadly force if necessary. At least he was willing to do what was necessary to protect humanity. Him and no one else. Alone against both xeno and man.

 **Australian system, New Australia orbit, Covenant CCS Battlecruiser**

 **2551, April 26** **th**

Plasma globs and slugs exchanged sides in the corridor as it spewed towards the other group. Three Spartans in dark green armor was making their way towards the hangar of the large disabled Covenant ship. There was little time left, but just enough for them.

Echo one half turned and fired five rounds. Two dug into the skull of a jackal while the other tree impacted the shield of the elite commanding the squad. Echo one fired another burst into it with his BR55 before completely turned and focusing on running to the junction ahead.

Reaching the junction, Echo two and three turned and lobbed a grenade each down the corridor. All three turned the corner for cover. Screeches filled the air as the frag grenades exploded. The elite added its own roar of determined anger. He blasted fiercely towards the junction.

"Think we pissed him off," two pointed out.

"To bad," one responded. "Three, you mind?"

"Not at all."

Three stepped around the corner and unloaded half his BR55 into the elite. That was enough to drop the alien's shields. He then finished him off with a burst right into his mandible jaws, up and into its brain. He spotted two grunts running for cover in the other end of the corridor.

"Keep moving," one ordered.

Two and three was right behind him.

They ran through another junction and two turned right and spewed death with his Chainguns at a group of five grunts and a jackal officer. No one of them was spared from the hail. The grunts screamed in panic as they were ripped clean through and filled with holes.

Without stopping he turned back and caught up one and three.

"How much time?" One asked.

"Three minutes," three replied chipper. "Plenty of time."

One agreed completely. If they didn't make it on three minutes, they weren't true Spartans.

They entered a large chamber with a pair of stairs leading up to a walkway above it. Apart from the bodies from their previous visit, a lot of covies moved about.

"Three, go above, two with me. We're going straight through," Echo one decided.

"Got it," two and three confirmed in unison.

Three readied his M397 sniper rifle on his way up the stairs. He quickly took cover and lined up a shoot. It went clean through an elites head. That definitely woke them up. Three managed to put a slug through a jackal's eye socket before they fired at him.

At that point two stepped out into the open and opened up with the Chaingun. He spewed down grunts and jackals in droves. He halted his fire on a jackal with a shield. The poor jackal couldn't hold and was staggered, losing his shields protection. He was torn through instantly by bullets.

One took up cover and lobbed a plasma grenade that stuck to an elite Ultra's shield. The explosion "neutralized" the shields and ripped the poor bastards left arm off and crippling his leg. But Ultra's was no quitters and he was no different. Gripping his Needler pistol hard, he emptied it in the Spartans direction. None hit the one's shields. He fired a burst from his BR55 at the Ultra. It tore into his chest, but didn't drop him.

The elite halted in one's direction. With the Needler empty he throw it at one and drew his plasma pistol up. He began firing relentlessly. A burst of rounds into his good knee dropped him to his knees but he kept shooting.

Six grunts came to his aid and swarmed towards one. He fired a few rounds into one of their methane tanks and caused an explosion. It killed two fellow grunts.

The last two kept firing their own plasma pistols endlessly.

One fired a round into the skull of one, right through the breathing mask. He ducked to avoid the crippled Ultra's fire.

He sighed.

"Damn, he's not giving up, is he," he commented. "Tough bastard."

With little effort he took out the last grunt with a burst before reloading his battle rifle. He heard a welcome sound. The plasma pistol overloading. He rose and fired a burst of three rounds into the elite's skull, finally killing him.

"Good night."

Two brought down a second Ultra by sustained fire into him as he charged at him. The elite fell to the ground ungracefully. He went down in a pile of three grunts and a pair of jackals.

Several bolts of plasma smacked into his shield. He was quick to shift his feet and turn the Chaingun to the two elites that was firing from cover. The rounds slashed their way through one of their shields, right into the elites head and tearing it apart, leaving it unrecognizable.

Three began firing at the elite, forcing him to stay in cover. Two turned his attention back to cleaning the chamber of enemies.

One turned to look over his shoulder. He spotted twenty and counting elites swarming into the chamber.

"We got incoming," he told his teammates in his com-link. "Three, move to the exit, two provide covering fire and withdraw."

"Copy," three complied.

"Got it," two added.

He turned about and started blasting the elites. He was surprised they mobilized so many. Given how many they had killed already since boarding. They scattered for cover. One lobbed a plasma grenade at them. It latched onto an elite and the explosion took out three of them. a small amount given that there now was thirty of them in the chamber. Two's Chaingun worked endlessly and the elites without cover was quickly cut down.

Three temporarily stopped and put two rounds through an elite with a sniper rifles skull.

When he reached the walkways edge at the chambers other door, he stopped and turned. He provided covering fire for two.

"Echo lead, the two other doors at the far end just opened," three alerted.

One fired a burst into an elite.

"Two, get a move on."

"Working on it!" Two exclaimed while he continued peppering the xenos.

"Grunts and jackals swarming in," three informed.

"We got those bastards," two said cockily.

"They're sending every soldier on board for us!" One told him sternly. "Plus our time's bloody running out!"

Two noticed his Chaingun running out of bullets.

"Bullocks," he cursed before turning and running towards the others.

The enemies worked down his shields as he was in the open.

"Three, get down and follow!" One ordered.

Two was first through the doorway into the small ten meter corridor that led to the hangar bay. One was right behind him and three only a few meters away.

Three grunts fired their Fuel rod guns and they hit right in threes path. He jumped out of the way but the corridor and door collapsed in the explosion. His shields took heavy damage in the explosion the Fuel rods caused.

" _Three!"_ One shouted over the com-link. _"Barney respond!"_

Three got up quickly and got his bearings fast. He steadied his sniper and put a bullet in an elite eyes when he got to close.

"I'm still here," he replied his CO.

Although one and two had the same rank, one was the official CO, to no one's objection.

"The ways completely collapsed," one clarified. "You need to find another way around."

Three withdraw to behind a corner and climbed up to the walkway. He counted fifty or so covies in the chamber at this very moment.

"Yeah right. Not an option, sir."

"That was an order Petty Officer!"

"Sorry Foster," he said curtly. "I got fifty covies between me and the doors. No way I'm making it out in one minute. Get in the Pelican and get off the ship."

"It's been an honor Barney," one said.

"Same," two added his two cents.

"A real honor to serve with-" he fired a round into an elites shield. "-both of you. Now report back, will you."

He turned towards the stairs to see four elites lead the charge. He throw his only plasma grenade towards them. It stuck to one of them and he roared in panic, trying to get it off. Two of the elites jumped off and back down. Another elite and five grunts was too close and died, including the elite himself.

He returned the sniper to his back and got his BR55 up for usage. He put a burst of slugs through a jackal's throat. He jogged backwards as he fired at the onrush of elites. Twenty of them charged at him from both ways of the walkway. Half was shooting while half had energy swords.

He fired four bursts before the first reached him. Three grabbed his arm and kicked him in the gut. He managed to punch the second, but then plasma bolts did enough combined damage to take down his shields. Leaving his armor as the only defense. He bolted backwards back down to the ground to avoid getting slashed by energy swords.

"Not that easy a-holes," he told them. "Gotta work more than that to take me down."

He put two rounds in a jackal's chest. A trio of brave grunts charged at him with guns blazing. He jumped to cover and put a round through ones face, three in the seconds head and two in the thirds waist and one in his head. He had to abandon his cover when fifteen elites jumped down from the walkway to join him. He killed one of them before he even hit the ground with a well-aimed shot.

He ran though the large chamber, kicking a few grunts on the way, with bolts of plasma whizzing by his head. He reloaded his BR55 after emptying the last rounds into an elites gut. Using the rifle butt he knocked him out.

He noted that he had twenty seconds before the ships went up in flames. His team was probably out by this point. Yeah, without a doubt they were.

An elite tried to ran into him at full force. Three responded by firing his newly reloaded battle rifle at him until he went down. The elite sucked up the entire clip before falling over.

"Strong fucker."

Once again he reloaded. It was his last mag to the Battle rifle. He shrugged. Didn't need ammo for too much longer. He was happy as long as he lived long enough to prove they couldn't take him down.

After kicking an elite, he fired at a pair with energy swords and put two rounds in a grunt. The sword wielding elites sucked up his last slugs. He throw the elite at a jackal, staggering him, before getting up his two pistols.

Fourteen seconds.

He put six rounds into the head of an elite.

"Time running out boys," he noted.

He run backwards and emptied both clips into his advancing enemies. He placed a slug through the eye socket of a jackal sniper up top on the walkway.

Twelve.

He spotted a mass of twenty plus grunts entering the chamber.

Four pistol slugs ended the charge of an elite without shields. He quickly reloaded the pistols and continued blasting into the enclave of hostiles surrounding him. They fired from all direction. His armor was taking a hell of a beating.

Ten.

With his pistols running dry for the last time, he threw them at an elite getting to close. The elite raised his arm to cover his face from the pistols. Three used it to charge at him and knocked him down. He broke his right wrist with his feet and grabbed the energy sword. Quickly he ran at an elite and gutted him, but not finishing him off entirely before cutting an arm off another. He jabbed the sword straight through a thirds jaw, listening to his screech in pain.

Eight.

Three felt a sword slash against his armored back. He turned around and cut the alien warriors mandibles clean off.

Seven.

The tried to screech. He wailed in horror and tremendous unbearable pain. With no time to rest, three reacted and ducked from a sword cutting at his face. It hit and left scorch marks across the helmets face section.

Six.

He kicked him and grabbed another's hand before hitting him with the butt of his rifle.

Five.

He fell to his knees when he was shock right into the back. Seven plasma globs made impact. Another two hit him in the chest.

Four.

He wasn't giving up with seconds to go. He blocked an energy sword and managed to stand up.

Three.

He gutted an Ultra that was in the mix, jabbing the sword right through him. Another burst of plasma smacked into his back. He groaned but kept the pain contained.

Two.

He gasped when a sword run right through his back. His grip loosened around the energy sword as he fell to his knees.

One.

He saw a grunt aiming a plasma pistol at his face. He smirked.

"Too late buddy," he told the alien.

Before the grunt of any of the dozen elites and jackals around he could even try finishing him off, the engineering section was torn by explosions, causing secondary explosions that traveled throughout the CCS Battlecruiser. In an attempt to recover the capital ship, a Light Cruiser had moved in closer. It too was rocked by the explosions and destroyed.


	9. Chapter 9 Forest of fire

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 9 Forest of fire

 **New Australia, Airbase Poseidon**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Garrus had his attention completely turned to the screen with Shepard on. She was using a UNSC communications terminal. He was happy to see if was going well, and even more so that she was safe. After the information they discovered yesterday he had been worried about her. She needed to know about it, but he couldn't tell her over an unsecure terminal. Although they claimed it was secure and private, neither he nor Shepard was filling to risk believing them completely.

"The UNSCs worried about a growing Covenant presence in the forest around their capital," Shepard explained. "They don't have any men to spare right now."

"How many people in this city of theirs?" Garrus asked.

"Millions," she replied. "I've agreed with Warfield to help clear out the Covenant positions in the area. The Spartans from before are joining us when we go in."

Garrus nodded.

"It should give us some trust with them at least. Saving lines always seems like a good thing too."

"There's something called a Pelican heading your way, Garrus. It is quite an impressive looking piece of engineering. Think of a more advanced version of that Falcon that we hitched a ride with."

That did sound interesting. Very much so.

"Who do you want with you?" He asked her.

"Take Grunt, Javik, Kaiden and Zaeed with you," she decided. "I want Wrex sitting back in case something happens, like a Covenant attack and Tali needs to keep working on getting Normandy up and running. Troopers or no, I want EDI and Syae to stay with Wrex just in case."

Garrus was pretty sure he knew the actually reason Syae was sitting back on this one.

"I got something I gotta tell you, but I can say it over the comm."

She looked intrigued.

"What is it?"

"It's got to do with Syae. Tell Mordin he was right and he'll explain it to you."

"Okay," she affirmed, slightly confused.

"Just know it wasn't her fault, what happened."

If it wasn't her fault what happened to Riley and Jade, what had they found out? She was out of position, running off doing her own thing and two members of her crew died. What did they miss the first time?

"Tell Tali she'll have some engineers and equipment flying in. She gets to boss them around until _Normandy's_ up and running."

"Oh I'm sure she'll love to hear you put her in charge," Garrus said sarcastically.

But Shepard was all business and didn't react much to the sarcasm.

"Doesn't matter as long as she gets Normandy flying," she simply said with a stoic expression. "Get the crew up to speed, you're leaving as soon as the Pelicans arrive."

"I'm on it, Shepard." He wondered if this was the time to try having a conversation about how she was actually doing. "Jane, I was-"

"Not the time, Garrus," she cut him off with a hard and stern voice. "The UNSC is losing this war. There's not a lot of planets left before they find Earth. If they do, they are going to destroy it." She clenched her fists. "I won't watch it fall again. Not again." she moved closed the channel but stopped. "Uh, Garrus?"

"Yes, Jane?"

"You wanna, erm…bring my, ah, armor? Take the N7."

He held back a chuckle.

"Wishing you brought it along now, do you?" He said.

"I'll see you soon," she finished, closing the channel.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. It was terrible to think but, in this universe, people wouldn't suffer as they did when the Reapers rolled in. the dead would stay dead. No one would be captured and horribly butchered to build new Reapers. Humanity had some of a chance here. He completely understood Jane's determination. Whatever universe they were in, Earth was still Earth.

He walked off to inform the rest of their mission. Grunt would be pissed for not being included in a fight. Hopefully he would calm down once he realizes he's staying back to protect Normandy and kicked the Covenant in the teeth if they tried anything. All needed was the right phrasing.

Garrus wasn't too happy about going on a mission with a team in which one of them murdered two of their crewmembers.

When Shepard turned away from the console, she planned to get Mordin and Liara, first of all to ask Mordin about the whole thing Garrus talked about. She saw Dempsey walked towards her.

"Commander," he greeted. "I'm glad I caught up with you."

"Did we miss something earlier?" Shepard asked.

"No, it isn't about that," he said handing her a datapad. "We caught a craft entering the system from out of nowhere, so slipspace rupture, nothing. One of our Carriers managed to get a clear picture of it when it entered the atmosphere. Didn't bother with it since they have Covenant ships all over."

Shepard looked over the image on the datapad. She was shocked by what she saw. It was an Alliance Kodiak shuttle. If it came out of nowhere, it must have come here the same way as them. But why so much later? Perhaps the shockwave and anomaly sent it into this point in time instead of the same they ended up in.

"That's one of our shuttles," she explained. "Must've come here same way we did."

Dempsey looked hesitant to answer first. Probably wasn't sure if he bought that other dimension theory. Although this new incident might add some meat to it.

"It crashed in the forests around Anju," he stuck to facts. "Area you're going to."

This news made it even more urgent for Shepard to make her way to the forest and clear out the Covenant.

"I should contact my people to inform them," she said.

When she walked back to the console, Dempsey thought over the dimension thing. He was split on if he believed it or not.

 **Earth, Assault on Earth, ruins of London**

 **2186**

Running through the rubble covered streets of London James jumped into cover behind a half obliterated tank. The torn up bodies of eleven marines were spread out around him. Fighter's squadrons swarmed in the darkened night sky, going up against the Reaper aero forces. Although outnumbered, they didn't falter. He glanced out and fired a burst at a Cannibal. It staggered backwards two steps and turned to fire a mass of bolts in his direction. James ducked for cover behind the tank. After a moment, as the Cannibal calmed his fire, he jumped halfway out and released a burst of eight bullets into the Cannibals head. The cannibalistic creature collapsed.

James shuttle was damaged and forced to land a bit from his actually drop zone. He'd joined up with a Hammer squad but unfortunately they'd gotten ambushed and a Harvester swept overhead and killed seven of them instantly. The rest was killed by a party of Cannibals, Marauders and a Brute. The brute had been dealt with.

With that, James grabbed a grenade and lobbed it into a former store, causing the three Marauders to run for cover. The explosion dropped two of their shields and gravely injured them while killing the third immediately.

He let lose five rounds, two smashing through one of the Marauders skulls and the other three rounds ripping into the other Marauders chest, dropping it too. He leaned back and breathed out.

A Krogan and two Salarians ran from the cover of some rubble to join him.

"Are you alright Lieutenant?" The darker skinned Salarian asked.

The Salarian wore black and grey armor and gripped a

"Yeah, fine," James replied.

The Salarian male tightened his grip on his M-92 Mantis and sued it to gesture to ruined five story building on James's right.

"We spotted a Banshee and reaper infantry up ahead. If I assume sharpshooting position on the third floor, I would have the whole junction in view," he prompted. "You move up and engage when I open fire."

"Sure eh…" James started.

"Venbrik Maeral, STG major," the Salarian introduced himself.

Maeral jogged from cover and into the building, quickly making his way up the stairs to the third floor and into a good sniper position.

The other Salarian smiled friendly and looked at James. He offered his hand.

"Corporal Abon Fondok. STG. Call me Abon."

James accepted the handshake.

"James Vega. Alliance marines. Pleasure, although this may not be the time for an official introduction."

"I disagree," Abon countered pleasantly. He then turned his head left and pointed at the Krogan. "That's Rorkan Trusk. Rorkan's a little but proud clan back on-"

"Yeah, I don't need a full history lesson," James interrupted.

"Salarians," the Krogan grumbled. "And this ones talks more than most at the most inappropriate times."

"It is never a bad timing for a friendly conversation," Abon argued as if they were having this discussion in someone's living room on a peaceful planet.

"Shut up," Trusk told him.

" _I am in position,"_ they heard Maeral on the com-link. _"I've found a Geth sniper up here. It is crippled but is assisting with the sniper cover."_

After five seconds a bolt from a Geth Javelin and a round from the Mantis sniper rifle hit the Banshee in the head. It gave out an ear bleeding screech. Five Marauders around was quick to react and try to locate where the shots came from.

James was the first to break from cover. He spewed rounds with his M-8 Avenger, which slammed into a Marauders shields at high velocity.

Abon came up on his side and grabbed cover behind rubble beside the busted tank. He fired his M-3 Shuriken all the way. The rounds hit two Marauders shields. He ducked just in time to avoid getting his shields blasted by them.

The Krogan Trusk ran forward to another cover and fired his Striker assault rifle. He ignored bolts hitting his shields.

"Take Krogan weapons of death!" He shouted.

He killed a Marauder and rushed used his biotics to charge a second, killing it at impact. The body was thrown backwards. He turned to fire his assault rifle at the Banshee. She fired a blast right at him. The Krogan wasn't staggered but his shields was dangerously low.

"You want to take a real Krogan warrior?! Come at me!"

"Crazy bastard," James said as he fired a burst and killed a Marauder. He lobbed a frag grenade towards the Banshee. It just barely injured her when she quickly moved towards the Krogan.

A sniper bolt hit the Banshee again, as did a Mantis round. The two marksmen kept peppering the Banshee endlessly.

When his thermal clip ran dry and he charged the Banshee with his biotics. His impact barely staggered it and the Banshee cut him across the head with its massive hand. Trusk punched it with the rifle, but unfortunately she fired a blast at point blank, throwing him backwards into a stone wall, cracking it, and going right through.

James had to stop firing on the Banshee when the Marauder tried to flank him on the left. He used the last third of his thermal clip to take it down. He reloaded with a new clip and switched cover. Abon covered him with his Shuriken submachinegun.

A bolt from the Geth Javelin hit the Banshee straight in the left eye and turned half the head into goo. The Banshee collapsed, dead.

They could finally breath out, it seemed.

Until a second later when a Harvester came in overhead. It stopped in mid-air and fired a massive bolt at the third floor.

"Major, get down!" James screamed over the comms.

The side of the building crumbled when the blast hit and half the building came falling down.

"Major Maeral!" Abon exclaimed in horror.

A pair of missiles hit the Harvester and it decided to chase the fighter and leave them alone.

James got out of cover.

"Check on the Krogan!" He told Abon.

Abon complied while James hurried into the debris that used to be a whole house. To James's relief he saw Maeral stumbling out of the rubble. He had his Omni-tool out and administered mid-gel for his injured leg. James noticed that instead of his Mantis he had a Javelin.

"Our Geth friend didn't make it?" James presumed.

"No," Maeral confirmed. "I lost my rifle on the way down too. Got lucky."

Abon came over with Trusk in tow. Trusk looked extremely happy for someone who got his ass kicked.

"That was a very foolish tactic," Maeral pointed out.

Trust snorted.

"To you maybe."

"We need to hurry this up," James said before they could start arguing.

"Right, we need to reach the rendezvous point," Maeral agreed.

Abon and Trusk nodded in agreement.

They could hear firefights going on in the distance, in every direction.

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Javik was gearing up for their departure. He was glad they finally would fight this new enemy. Waiting was not a good strategical move right now. With their ship crippled, they needed to go on the offensive to prevent an overwhelming Covenant assault in the future. He had spent most of the day aiding in Normandy's more mundane repairs. Ceiling, walls, floor and such. Crew quarters was almost back up and running in livable conditions.

Kaiden walked over into the Cargo bays armory wing and started picking out his own gear. The human was wearing his Dragon blood armor, but without the helmet at the moment. He equipped himself with a Carnifex and a Vindicator rifle. Javik himself picked his regular Particle rifle and a Carnifex too as his choice of sidearm. The Carnifex packed a real punch, for a weapon developed by primitives, at least.

"I hope you have recovered enough to be efficient in combat," Javik remarked.

"Oh don't you worry about me," Kaiden responded. "I'm good."

"I was not. I was worrying about the mission."

Same old, same old, Kaiden thought to himself.

"Right, well you don't need to worry about that," he said flatly.

Javik finished up and started walking towards the elevator.

"Good."

He took the elevator up to the CIC, where he walked to the airlock and proceeded to join Grunt and Zaeed outside.

Grunt pumped his fists together.

"Finally some action. Hehe," he said with his little trademark laugh at the end. "I'll try not to kill them all before to get a chance."

"I'm sure they'll be plenty enough for all of us," Zaeed remarked dryly.

He was used to the Krogan promptly boasting and all that jargon chest pounding, but it didn't make it any less irritating every time they went into or prepared for a fight. He would consider himself very grateful if Shepard didn't partner them up once they reached the forest area. He naturally trusted the tank-born with his life and knew he would-usually-have his back in combat, but his boasting, laughing and chest pounding was something he could survive without listening to.

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out over the soldiers the UNSC had put here to defend the _Normandy_. A lot of them was wary or intrigued by their armed appearance, wondering where they were going certainly. No one dared to ask them.

Desi leaned closer to Hamilton and Matias.

"Where do you think they're going?" She asked.

"I don't know," Matias said.

"Maybe they're going to help us or something," Hamilton suggested, almost whispering.

"Maybe they agreed to fight the Covenant," Desi pondered.

"Or they're going somewhere that has nothing to do with us."

Matias looked from Hamilton to Desi.

"Why don't you go ask them?" He suggested.

They stared at him. Hamilton looked like if Matias had said something incredibly stupid and retarded. Desi didn't seem to think to it was a stupid idea. She looked perplexed.

"You wanted to know, right?"

Hamilton looked at the aliens sheepishly. Desi looked like she was considering it, but after looking at them, she decided she wasn't brave enough.

"I, ehm, prefer not to."

Matias rolled his eyes. He wasn't more inclined to talk to them himself, the humans, sure, but not the aliens. But he wasn't asking questions only they could answer at least. He saw two Pelicans coming in overhead. They landed in the open area behind the ship, and the armed group started walking towards them. The blue carapace alien came out too, joining them as they walked towards the Pelicans. A team of engineers-'bout twenty or so-swarmed out of them.

"Think they're gonna help repairing the ship?" Hamilton asked.

"What else?" His friend countered.

Desi turned to Syae and gathered all her courage.

"I'm gonna talk to her," she decided.

"We'll cross our fingers for you, I guess," Matias remarked.

Desi walked towards the rock the carapace alien sat on with sturdy steps. She stopped in front of her. Syae slowly looked up with her silver eyes.

"You've gathered enough courage to talk to the alien, huh," she noted.

Desi felt her courage starting to slip away instantly. But she was intrigued by her echoing voice. It was, exciting.

"Eh, I-I, I'm Lance Corporal Desi Lyon," she introduced herself.

Syae eyed her for a moment, studying her. She was cute for a human actually.

"Syae." She put her pencil down on her sketchbook. "My race is called Aey'Syyon, as I'm sure you were wondering."

"Oh, y-yeah, I guess I did," she nervously scratched her neck. "So…ship crashed, huh."

Syae arched her eyebrows.

"I am amazed by the human power of observing the obvious over and over again."

Desi's face turned red.

"We appreciate you people helping defend _Normandy_ in case of a Covenant attack," Syae said gratefully.

"Yeah, sure. Hey don't mention it. We're…happy to help."

"You've never met a friendly alien, have you?"

Desi shook her head.

"N-no."

Syae gestured to the empty side of the rock she sat on.

"Wanna sit down?"

Desi swallowed hard before speaking.

"Sure," she managed to say without stuttering.

Hamilton and Matias stared impressed when the LCpl sat down beside the alien woman.

 **New Australia, Anju forest**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

After several hours of flight, the Pelican carrying the Normandy team finally arrived at the designated rendezvous point. Grunt was the first out, he even jumped with the shotgun at the ready. He got a pout once he didn't see anyone to shoot. Garrus, Javik, Zaeed and Kaiden was right behind him. Garrus gazed around, and spotted Shepard, Mordin and Liara. But also fireteam Sphinx. With one of them being a murderer. For obvious reasons he had kept the news amongst him, Tali and Chakwas. Least until Shepard decided what to do about it.

He had a smile on his face when he met Shepard. If they hadn't been in the field, he would have hugged her without a second thought.

"I got your stuff in the Pelican," he told her.

"Thanks, Garrus. I don't really want to fight without my armor," she replied.

Garrus got a look at the field they had landed in. It wasn't much to look at. Just a regular simple grass field at the edge of the forest. It was approximately mid-day according to the position of the sun in the sky. Three of the Spartans stood and waited while the commander came over to them. She waited patiently for Shepard to get ready.

"Waited long?" Garrus asked Mordin.

"Approximately two hours," the Salarian said. "You had longer to travel. Understandable."

He walked over to the Pelican when Shepard got out. Her N7 armor was black and grey with red markings. Her head and hair was exposed since she went without a helmet. The strong wind gripped her beautiful crimson hair. For a second Garrus was lost in it, but quickly regained his senses.

"Hey, Jane. Got a moment, one on one?"

She looked at the Turian.

"Off course, Garrus."

She stopped and he stood half a meter in front of her.

"There's something I need to tell you, been days sense I did. All the way back on Earth," he said, speaking in a low voice. She listened with slight tension in her mind. She wasn't sure if this was the time for this. "And again, we're about to go into battle. It seems the universe has a strange sense of humor. Timing always sucks."

She couldn't argue that. She cocked her head back, looking up at him, locking eyes.

"Jane-"

"We need to move out," Becky said sternly.

Garrus cursed under his breath, causing a snicker from Shepard. It was a happy surprise to him, unexpected, but he'd take it.

"We're ready," Shepard replied. She didn't break away from Garrus and whispered to him. "We'll finish later."

"We are dividing into three teams," Becky told everyone. "Commander and I went over it before. "Phoenix, you're with Doctor T'Soni, Javik and the Commander. Pierre's with Vakarian, Grunt and Major Alenko. Last teams me, Daniel, Massani and Professor Solus."

Garrus throw a glance at Shepard and she nodded.

"Let's move out," she finished. "Team three takes the Pelican deeper into the forest while one and two moves from here."

Everyone divided and Zaeed and Mordin followed the two Spartans into the Pelican Garrus and the others had come with.

Phoenix cocked her M9 shotgun and walked into the forest with Shepard, Liara and Javik. She was a little displeased about having two xenos with her, but they were good soldiers. She had seen them fight back at their ship and knew they could hold their own against the Covies. That was enough for her to put everything else aside and let her professionalism shin through.

Shepard was the only one that knew about what they had uncovered back at the _Normandy_. She didn't want to tell them yet since she didn't think it necessary. It would make cooperation between them much harder.

They walked in silence for several minutes, until Liara decided to try conversing with Sphinx two.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Fine," Phoenix said.

"Where you born on this planet?" The blue female asked.

What? Phoenix thought it was a strange choice of question since they were on a mission right now. She decided to answer anyway.

"No."

"Where were you born?"

"Omega-Tribune," came the short answer.

"Is it nice there?" Liara inquired.

Phoenix sighed inward.

"It was before the Covenant came and butchered the population," she explained.

Liara's eyes widened.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

She wanted the conversation to end, but she couldn't be rude and just cut her off after that.

"No, that's fine. How could you have known? It was so long ago."

"May I ask, how long?" Liara stepped carefully.

"Twenty two years ago. I was seven when I lost everything. My home, friends, parents." She felt a hint of a quiver in her own voice. Just a hint. "I don't remember my parents."

She knew the last part was a lie. She had a picture of her parents in a pocket on her jumpsuit. But she didn't think super soldiers kept those around. She was tougher than that. At least she told herself she was, just like she told herself there was something wrong in keeping the picture.

"Revenge is a good motive for war," Javik said solemnly.

"Yes, it is," Phoenix agree. She looked over her shoulder at Liara for a second. "The majority of Spartan IIIs were turned into orphans by the Covenant."

"They turned children into soldiers?" Liara asked confused. That didn't feel right to her.

"We didn't start fighting then. We spent an age training, getting augmentations and that before actually going on any missions."

"It make sense to choose children who lost their families to the Covenant," Javik said.

"A child that just lost her family isn't in the right state of mind to make a decision like that," Liara argued. "They're basically taking their futures away."

"They gave us a chance to kill Covies," Phoenix said firmly. "And get revenge."

"I hate to say it, but it makes sense," Shepard inputted. "Humanity's losing and it could already have been over without Spartans." She didn't like saying it, but given their situation, it made sense.

"We did a lot worse than force children to take up arms in my cycle," Javik stated bluntly. "I saw a lot worse."

Phoenix looked over her shoulder at him.

"You're cycle?"

"I was in stasis for fifty thousand years. When Commander Shepard woke me up, I was the last on my people," Javik explained. "My people also fought an adversary that would not give up, and give no mercy. We have something in common in that."

He didn't know too much about the Covenant to correctly compare them with the Reapers, clearly there were a million differences, but both wanted to eradicate life. In this case, human instead of all organic life advanced enough. Off course the Reapers would wipe out and harvest the Covenant species like everyone else.

Phoenix nodded understandingly. Was quickly absorbed all the information and thought it over in her head for a moment before turning back to the mission at hand. The Air Force had pinged a Covenant anti-air battery post that they were going to take down. It would help to ensure UNSC air supremacy around the capital. Anju was exposed without it. Their second objective was the crashed ship. The second team was also en-route to destroy a second gun emplacement. Team three would assault a location that the intelligence suspected to be a Covenant groundside airfield under construction. It if were, they had to stop them before it was finished.

Phoenix knew that right now, it was only a matter of time before the UNSC fleet crumbled before the Covenants own fleet. It was admirable they had held out for so long. They could just be thankful the Covenant fleet was just a medium sized one.

"What kind of perimeter defense should we expect?" Shepard asked the Spartan.

"A few squads," she replied. "They're still hoping we won't detect them since the cannons aren't operational yet. We're probably looking at a few elites, with jackals and grunts as support. I'd expect them to hold the majority of their elites is probably held back for a major offensive."

"Letting the less important troops take the casualties and hit you defenses first."

"Precisely, commander. They don't give a shit about the grunts. Ain't treating the jackals a lot better. Look down on 'em all. Elites see themselves as the greatest warriors in the galaxy." She added a snort.

The Mjolnir GEN2 Powered Assault Armored Spartan cocked her sniper and gestured for the others to stop. Shepard got her N7 Valkyrie out and ready to fire.

"Got three jackal's thirty meter up," she told them. "Snipers."

"We have to take them out before they call for backup," Shepard said.

"Agreed. I can take out one instantly, the other won't be hard but the third is going to reach cover."

Shepard gestured right.

"Javik flank them on the right, Liara and I go left," she ordered.

"Yes commander," Javik answered promptly.

"Off course, Shepard," Liara said.

"On your mark," Phoenix acknowledged.

Shepard and Liara made their way left of the jackals as quietly as possibly. Thanks to the thick vegetation, the jackals didn't see them. And they seemed to relax, wasn't expecting an attack. She figured they hadn't seen a human sense they arrived. They stopped around twenty meters from the jackals.

" _Commander,"_ Javik whispered. _"I am in position."_

Shepard looked at Liara and she nodded that she was ready.

"Mark!" She said in her com-link.

Phoenix popped the first jackals with a round through the back of his head. The remaining jackals both turned around instantly. Before they got another second to think, Shepard charged into one of them using her biotics. He was flung backwards and broke his beck when he hit a tree. Liara grabbed the third and lift him up. Javik fired three blast into his chest, killing him.

Phoenix jogged over to them. She stared amazed at Shepard.

"What did you just do?" She inquired.

"I used my biotics to charge," she replied simply.

Phoenix whistled.

"These biotics just keeps getting more and more impressive. Sucks we can't get 'em."

Javik arrived at them after checking if that the jackals were in fact dead.

"We are obviously approaching the anti-air cannons," he stated.

"Agreed. We might run into more squads before reaching it. Depends on how many covies we're talking about."

"Let's get moving," the commander said.

 **New Australia, Anju forest**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Garrus had assumed a sniping position on a hill. The trees had cut down the trees up there already, meaning they were probably going to station an artillery piece there soon. Luckily they had left in unmanned, giving Garrus a perfect view of the anti-air cannon post.

There was three artillery platforms placed in the camp, with four turrets and barricades. The turrets was manned by sleeping grunts. Clearly they hadn't been attacked at all. Garrus counted two elites and six grunts in the section where Kaiden and Pierre prepared for their assault. Both elites wore red armor. Officers. Garrus would open up by putting one through one of their heads before they activated their shields.

He shifted his scope to a group of vehicles ten meters from the rest of his team. They had three Ghosts and a Spectre, which he thought was an interesting name on the latter. Two elites was pacing around over there. They had to take them out before they could use them to start blasting them. That job was mostly in Grunts corner. He was going to deal with the elites and take the vehicles out of the equation.

They were waiting for his mark.

He returned his scope to look down on one of the elite officers. He aimed for his head. Garrus sent the slug of at high velocity, right into one of the officer's face. He fell to the ground in a limp pile. The others quickly reacted and the elite roared. Their version of an alarm, the Turian figured. Pierre fired into the second elite officer. Unfortunately he had been faster to get his shields up.

The grunts scampered for their plasma pistols and aimed into the forest to fire blindly. The elite moved for cover of some crates. Kaiden fired with his Vindicator into the alien's shields. He grabbed a grunt and slammed him into the elite. The elite was incredibly confused by what she happened.

A new sniper round impacted his shields, causing him to react again. He fired into the forest with his plasma rifle and jumped behind cover. Garrus put his next round through a grunts methane tank, causing a small rupture that made the alien fly into a tree, cracking his head wide open.

" _This guy is really pissed,"_ Kaiden commented, referring to the elite officer.

The elite blasted furiously into the forest, without seeing exactly who he was shooting at.

Garrus killed another grunt.

"Sure looks like it," he replied. "Firing like crazy at you guys."

"Can you hit him from your end?" Pierre asked.

"No. He's found pretty good cover. The crates are higher in my direction. Grunt what about you?"

It took Grunt a moment to respond.

"What!?" He asked in the heat of battle.

Garrus shot a grunt and shifted his scope to the Krogan. He had just punched an elite to the ground and pointed his Claymore at the others face. The elite flared his mandibles in anger, second before grunt blasted his head apart. He turned to a third and rushed him, slamming right into the elite before he could fire his Concussion rifle. The Krogan proceeded to blast him four times in the chest, taking him down. He then looked to the elite that was now getting up.

"Can you get the attention of the elite firing at three and Kaiden?" Garrus asked.

Grunt blasted the wary elites head clean off.

"Fine. Hehe."

He turned and jogged up to a metal barricade and fired at a grunt. He started firing into the back of the elite officer. His anger rising even higher, when he turned and started firing at Grunt. The Krogan ducked behind cover.

It gave Kaiden and Pierre the break they needed. Pierre ran forward and fired into three grunts. He jumped behind the cover of crates and lobbed a grenade at the officer.

He quickly left the cover of the crates and roared in increased rage.

Kaiden picked him up and throw him into the crates and towards Grunt. The Krogan fired his shotgun at the elite. His shields finally went down and the shotguns blast ripped the right arm off. He started trying to get up as a puddle of purple blood was forming.

Grunt smacked the elite in the face and let Pierre fire into his back. The officer went down, dead.

"Finally," Kaiden said.

"No time, more incoming!" Pierre told him.

They took cover as four jackals started firing snipers at them. Garrus fired a round through one of their bird skulls.

Realizing they had one behind them, they scattered for better cover, opening themselves for the others. One of them panicked when Grunt rushed him and jumped onto him with his full bodyweight. He was utterly crushed under the alien's weight.

Kaiden stood up and pushed a jackals back with his biotics. The jackal's neck-among others-snapped upon hitting an artillery piece. He then drew his Vindicator and unloaded half a dozen rounds at four grunts wobbling towards them. Beside him Pierre fired at the two remaining jackal's. One of them went down but the other jumped behind cover. In midair Garrus put a sniper round straight through his head.

" _They last gathering by the third artillery platform,"_ Garrus told them.

"Copy," Pierre responded. "Nice shot by the way."

" _I'm the officially greatest sniper where I'm from,"_ he bragged.

"Standards kinda low," Kaiden teased.

Garrus chuckled through the com-link.

Grunt fired his M-76 Revenant at the last elite and the jackals around him. They got to cover, giving Kaiden and Pierre the ability to move up.

Their Turian "eye in the sky" took out the last grunt wobbling around the battlefield.

Pierre peeked out from his new cover and let lose a burst, hitting a jackal in the chest. He fell backwards, dying. He shrieked in pain. A comrade tried to help but. The elite snapped at them. Clearly disapproving of the seconds helping his injured friend. He gave the jackal three seconds, then he turned and fired a bolt into his skull. He then lowered the plasma rifle and killed the injured too.

" _Spirits,"_ Garrus voiced. _"These guys are a-holes."_

"Pretty much," Pierre said. "I count three jackals left."

" _Confirmed,"_ Garrus said. _"Plus the elite superior."_

The jackals had stopped shooting, clearly shocked and horrified by the elite murdering their comrades. The elite just roared at them and two of them returned to firing. The third, not so much. He got two seconds, then the elite shot him dead.

"He just keeps killing his own guys," Kaiden noted.

"Haha, idiot!" Grunt laughed. "Gonna kill 'em all for us. Moron."

Garrus managed to snipe a jackal when he broke from cover to shoot.

The last jackal fired a succession of three bolts that all missed Kaiden. He ducked in time for Garrus to fire a shot.

 **Reach, Sword base**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

He leaned back in his chair as he finished his cup of coffee. For a moment he sat in silence.

"Cleopatra."

The green AI popped up on the holotank.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need my ship prepared."

"Done, sir," she said after a second. "I've sent a message to Captain Bower."

She tilted her head right.

"Where are you going, sir?"

He looked at her.

"We, are going to New Australia."

She furrowed her eyebrows in surprise.

"Sir, I don't think that is wise," she told him with concern.

"Did you delay Colonel Prescott's message to the Director?"

She nodded.

"I did."

"Excellent," he said with satisfaction.

"Sir. I don't think you should go into a combat zone."

"I appreciate your concern, bit I intend to deal with the Normandy situation in person."

The AI seemed to sigh. She knew she couldn't convince him.

He gave her an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, Cleo. We will be fine."

"I wasn't as worried for, me as you, sir. I'm not comfortable with you going into a warzone."

"If it makes you feel better, you can tell Lieutenant Decker to prepare a number of assault Platoons," he offered.

She shined up slightly.

"Yes, sir!"

The barefoot AI skipped on the holotank happily. The man chuckled lightly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Ten years. It was unbelievable that it had been ten years now. Ten years sense last time.

 **Earth, Assault on Earth, ruins of London**

 **2186**

James took cover beside Shepard and Javik behind some debris from a house. Bolt after bolt smashed into their cover from Cannibals and Marauders across the plaza. Maeral ran towards them, firing two bursts with his Scorpion heavy pistol at the Reaper troops. He killed a Cannibal before diving into cover beside James. His shields needed to recharge after taking a beating.

"Commander Shepard," he said. "I have had word from 3rd Platoon. They're under heavy fire nearby!"

"If you hadn't noticed Major, we're in trouble ourselves!" Shepard responded. "Everyone's under attack, ever Platoon!"

James fired a burst at the enemy and ducked down again.

"I understand that Commander!" Maeral continued. "But my people told me that they had Rymia in that Platoon!"

Shepard cocked her head up.

"Damn." They would most likely need her technical and scientific expertise when they got up to the Citadel. It would make it a hell of a lot easier without a doubt. "She's ok?"

"Your marines and my squad of STG is with her. They're holding out for now!"

Shepard reached for her com-link.

"Shepard to 3rd Platoon."

" _Gunnery Sergeant Riker here, sir!"_

"What's your status?"

" _Taking heavy fire from a ten story building! Reaper snipers all over it, but we can't get close to clear it out because of the Brutes, Marauders and Husks!"_

Shepard made a split second decision.

" _I'm sending a team to clear it out. Keep Rymia safe."_

"Doing our best, sir!"

"Shepard out." He turned to Maeral.

"I'll take my team, plus Rorkan Trusk," he said before the commander spoke.

"You needed an extra gun," James offered.

Shepard nodded.

"Take James and Kasumi," he ordered.

Maeral nodded.

"Understood commander."

"Kasumi," Shepard said in the com-link. "You're with Major Maeral and Lieutenant Vega."

" _Copy Shep,"_ the Japanese kleptomaniac responded.

"Grunt!" Shepard shouted. "We need to clear those bastards gone, now!"

Grunt chuckled.

"Gladly, they're pissing me off!"

He jumped out of cover and charged at the Reaper troopers. Shepard left cover too and used his biotics and charged into a Cannibal, killing it on impact. Garrus fired a round from his sniper into a Marauders head, putting the poor bastard out of his misery.

Kasumi was quick to decloak and fire her Locust into the back of a Marauder. She recloaked when two Cannibals turned her way. They fired blindly into nothingness. It allowed Shepard breathing room to turn and fire her Revenant into a Marauders face. The tiny high velocity rounds ripped through its head.

Grunt fired his shotgun and took down the last Marauder. Then turning to both Cannibals shooting at Kasumi-or trying anyway-he charged at them and blasted them both, killing one on the second blast and the other on the third. Garrus put a round in the Cannibal firing from behind another cover.

"Brutes!" Grunt shouted.

Three of them came running towards them.

A marine fired a missile from his missile launcher. It hit one of the beasts center mass. He staggered, clearly injured, but didn't seem to be bother much about it.

Kasumi broke off and joined Maeral and his little group. There were the Krogan Trusk, the Salarian Abon Fondok and three other Salarians, all members of the Special Tasks Group. Not to forget James off course.

They trekked through the streets of London for ten minutes until they stood across from the entrance to the ten story former office. They were in cover off course. They could see and hear the snipers firing at the Hammer Platoon.

Maeral turned to the team.

"Ms. Goto, I want you to utilize your stealth and retrieve Rymia," he told the Japanese thief.

"I'm on it," she replied confidently.

"The rest of us are going inside the building. We will clear the Reapers out floor by floor." He turned to Trusk. "Take point."

He Krogan grinned and nodded.

Kasumi cloaked herself and went to carry off her part.

Trusk got up and rushed into the building, with James and the five Salarians in tow.

* * *

Well that's the longest chapter yet. Almost 7000 words.


	10. Chapter 10 Reunion

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 10 Reunion

 **New Australia, Anju forest**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Garrus put a round clean through the jackals head, taking the beak clean off. He shifted his sniper and aimed for a grunt that scampered out of the forest together with a jackal and five other grunts. One of the patrols that had been out. The jackal activated a large energy shield, protecting himself from incoming fire. Garrus popped a grunts methane tank, sending him flying up into the air and falling back to the ground. He died on impact with the ground.

Grunt switched his shotgun for the Revenant assault rifle. He opened up a barrage and swept away two grunts in a hail of grain corn sized slugs.

"Stupid named aliens!" Grunt shouted angrily.

He hated they he shared a name with those stupid cowardly bugs.

He saw Pierre killing the last grunt.

Kaiden focused his fire on the jackals shield.

"I'll skirt around him," Pierre informed.

He ran left and forced the jackal to try and cover himself from the sniper, him and Grunt and Kaiden. A burst from Kaiden hit his arm, causing him to cry out in pain and the cryo rounds froze it solid. The panic in the jackal's eyes was enough time for Pierre to finish him off with a shot through the back of his skull.

" _Area seems clear,"_ Garrus reported.

Pierre walked over to Grunt and Kaiden.

"Let's just blow the artillery platforms and we're golden," he said. "Nice fighting by the way."

" _Not too bad yourself,"_ Garrus said.

"I don't know about this alternate universe thing but ya goy my approval," he said sincerely.

"We appreciate that," Kaiden said. "Thanks to the professor's upgrades to our shields, we didn't get fried."

" _Always a bonus,"_ Garrus concurred. Then he realized something. _"Hey,"_ Garrus interjected. _"Your engineers helping Tali, they're gonna be quick to find out we're using an FTL engine completely unknown to you and the Eezo, very much doubt they have ever seen that before."_

"Well that's that then," Pierre said. He didn't know what Eezo was, but imagined it was something they used to power the FTL.

Grunt reached for his com-link.

"Shepard, we've cleared the artillery post," he told Shepard jovially.

" _Good work Grunt,"_ she responded. _"We've cleared our own. They had barely started setting it up. We're heading towards the crashed shuttle."_

Meanwhile Pierre reported back to Commander Becky.

"First explosive set," Kaiden informed the others.

Garrus was pondering how long until the Covenant had gotten enough combat intelligence of the crew to dictate a proper response to their powers. They would have to get use to their biotics sooner or later.

 **Earth, Assault on Earth, ruins of London**

 **2186**

Trusk used his flamethrower to burn the last Marauder in sight to death. The room was littered with corpses everywhere. One of them their own. One of the STG agents had been rushed by a Brute while he was shot at by half a dozen Marauders. Not even mentioning the twenty or so Husks swarming the room. Abon and Maeral had tried helping him but it was too late. James couldn't since he was pulling an injured STG out of the fight, with the fifth and last Salarian and Trusk providing cover fire.

James administered medi-gel but the Salarian was too badly wounded. A deep cut had almost ripped the right leg clean off. He wasn't walking any time soon.

They were on the eight floor, having nearly cleared it out. They had to reach the tenth to clear out the entire building. Outside Kasumi had gotten Rymia out of the fire and together with two Alliance marines, secured the ruined buildings only exit. The Hammer Platoon had moved on towards their target. With their forces spread out, this route was still the most important route to their target and they needed to clear the Reaper troops out so they didn't ambush another unit here. Maeral was never one to leave a job half finished. He never gave up and never quit.

James stood up and looked around the large twenty meter room.

"Floors cleaned out," Trusk said.

Abon looked at the bodies spread out.

"Technically speaking," he noted.

Maeral throw an eye on James.

"How is he lieutenant?" He asked.

"Not gonna fight anytime soon," James affirmed. "Got tore pretty good."

"I-I'm okay," the STG member tried reassuring them.

Maeral kneeled beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No you're not. I'll have someone get you down to Ms. Goto and Ms. Rymia," he decided with an encouraging smile. "You're not dying on me today."

"N-never, sir. I'll hold out."

"Good man," Maeral said with a nod.

"I'll volunteer," the third Salarian said. "You finish this, sirs."

Maeral nodded approvingly. He helped the injured man up and the other put his arm over his shoulders to support him and started walking towards the staircase.

"Leaves four of us," Trusk commented. "Could probably do it myself though."

"If it's all the same to you, we'd like to help," James told the arrogant Krogan. Actually he wasn't really an arrogant Krogan. More like a normal Krogan.

Maeral, Abon, Trusk and James all headed back to the staircase to head up to the next floor and clear it.

" _Hey uh, guys?"_ Kasumi's voice came through the com-link. "I really hope you're all done soon."

Maeral picked up on the tone in her voice.

"What's your situation, Ms. Goto?" he quickly chipped back.

" _Kinda in a lil' bit of trouble down here!"_ She shouted with the sound of gunfire in the background. _"Getting swamped by enemies, dozen Brutes and Banshees, trying to…wow."_

Maeral frowned.

"Ms. Goto?" He had concern in his voice. "Report?!"

"Our Aey'Syyon girl just wiped the floor with a pair of Brutes," Kasumi voiced, sounding amazed.

Maeral was surprised to hear that, but hid it well. He knew Rymia was a decent biotic. But he had no idea how powerful she was. If she could deal with two Brutes on her own she wasn't even closely as defenseless as he had judged her to be the first time he saw her. He had doubted the decision to bring her down, but it seemed he was being proven wrong right now.

"How is she?"

"Terrified but badass as hell," the Japanese summarized it.

"Can you hold until we're done?"

Suddenly he felt the building shake. It was quickly becoming unstable. Kasumi responded before he could ask.

" _One of the Brutes just rammed a support pillar, whole walls coming down."_

"Can you hold them?" Maeral asked again, just as the building shook once more.

" _Not for long! Too many of them!"_ She answered. _"Hurry up!"_

James knew that if they didn't leave, they would die once the building came crashing down. Abon turned to Maeral, awaiting his decision. Thankfully the major was quick to see reason. He turned to James.

"Lieutenant Vega take-" Maeral started.

Before he could finish a group of Husks came running down the stairs from the floor above, leaping at them.

Abon raised his SMG and fired into the closest. The rounds shredded through it and the Husk fell to the floor and rolled down the stairs in a limp form. The Salarian fired his SMG into the other two Husks coming his way, killing the second before it reached him. It fell right at his feet. Maeral was quick to use his STG Venom shotgun to blast the third Husk, splitting its head right open.

The shocked corporal stepped back.

"Down the stairs quickly!" Maeral shouted.

They could hear others moving around in the staircase above them. They could hear firing that culminated in a pair of screams. Maeral didn't need to think who it was. Certainly the two men he send down before them. He regretting sending them alone. Who knew what they had encountered. Just before they could hurry downward a stream of Husks came down from the floor above.

They all started unloading their deadly weapons fire into the monstrous former humans while backing away from them. Eight rushed Maeral, forcing him down the staircase on his own. He blasted apart two Husks with one blast of his shotgun. The next blast took a Husks head clean off. Firing straight into them slowed them down for a split second, while their numbers rose quickly. Using his Omni-tool he set a Husk ablaze, as three others caught fire by proximity.

Abon was forced to jog down a corridor while firing his SMG into the perusing abominations. With an unending number of them closing in, he throw his empty gun at them and draw his Scorpion heavy pistol. He put a round through a Husks head, killing it instantly. He fired in level with their heads and killed one with every round that left the barrel.

"Get away you freaks!" He shouted frantically.

Trusk and James backed into a large room, leaving the Husks to be funneled through the doorway. It opened a perfect killing field for the flamethrower and James's shotgun. The practically butchered every Husk that tried making its way inside.

"There's enough for everyone!" Trusk shouted with a bellowing laugh afterwards. "Now this is a battle worthy of a Krogan!"

"And everything else this far wasn't!" James commented with a half frantic shout.

Trusk only laugh at the remark.

They kept blasting and blasting at the Husks until Trusk's flamethrower ran dry. At the same time almost the stream of Husks seemed to die, and only a few kept charging them. James was quick to put them down while Trusk switched to his assault rifle.

They had to duck when bolts from Marauders whizzed by them.

James got down behind an old desk.

"Where the hell all they come from?!" He shouted.

The building shook again. He saw part of the left side of the room collapsed completely.

"Crap. Trusk, times almost up!"

The Krogan bellowed in laugher as he stood straight up and fired into the Marauders.

"Stay behind me human!" He shouted.

He started charging the doorway while bolts smacked into his shields, quickly dropping them closer and closer to the zero mark. He heard a large crack and seconds later, just as he pushed a Marauder to the ground, a Brute appeared. It had left a large hole in the walls behind it. Trusk fired a burst, but was slapped away into a wall. The Brute charged through the doorway, breaking it apart completely.

" _What's taking so long?"_ Kasumi asked. _"There's way too many of these guys!"_

"Not the time!" James shouted back.

" _Well get down here already, something exploded outside, whole west sections coming apart!"_

James jumped out of the Brutes away.

"Working on that!"

" _Well, work harder!"_ She countered.

"Sheesh, hadn't thought of…" he dodged the Brute. "…that!"

 **New Australia, Anju forest**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Shepard was on point with Phoenix at her side, while Javik and Liara brought up the rear. Sphinx two was displeased that the fauna was so thick it completely negated any sniper angle for her. They couldn't see fart either, leaving a possible ambush open. Although they could probably hear if fifteen elites prepped an ambush. Plus was that no one could get an angle on them with a sniper either. She felt almost naked when she couldn't use her sniper, but that only meant her trusted shotgun would have to clean up any hostiles instead. She didn't mind going in up close and personal from time to time.

They made their way through the bush towards were the Kodiak shuttle had come down. Shepard's two concerns what that if it crashed utterly, nobody might have survived and that the Covenant probably knew about it. They might already have a Company of elites on the way for all she knew. Her mind was racing as to who it might be. Or whom. How many more men was stranded in this universe. She was perplexed to why it took the shuttle longer before it went down. They crashed about three days ago, and somehow they just crashed now?

Phoenix stopped and gestured down to a dead jackal with her M90.

Shepard studied the dead alien for a moment. He had a sniper rifle nearby and a Needler pistol on his waist. She kneeled and checked for cause of death.

"Shot in the back multiple times," she noted.

"Somebody ambushed the sharpshooter," Javik commented. "Good tactic."

"Sniper didn't do him any good in this terrain," Phoenix voiced her opinion of the layout. "No good sniping positions until you reach the relatively open crash site."

Shepard rose.

"Keep your eyes open, probably more around here."

Liara and Javik nodded.

"Covenant doesn't send single jackals into battle alone. Elites, but not jackals," the Spartan clarified. "Any survivors are likely in trouble." She looked to Shepard. "But if your crews any indication, the Covenant's in for a hell of a fight."

"Alliance marines can handle themselves," she assured the Spartan.

"Let's keep moving," Phoenix finished the conversation.

They walked for a few minutes until they stumbled over an elite body, surrounded by five grunts. Two of the grunts had been shredded, almost to an unrecognizable shape. The elite had been set ablaze and was burnt to a crisp. The remaining grunts had just been shot.

"Rest of the Covenant search party," Javik assumed.

Phoenix sneaked forward, since they were close to the shuttle they had to be quite until they knew the situation. If it had crashed in the open she would have just located a highpoint and used her scope to get a good look at them. But that wasn't possible now.

The thick canape made it impossible to see the sky at all. It darkened the area, almost as if night had fallen. Or evening at the very least.

Phoenix was the first to peak through the bushes.

"Got anyone?" Shepard whispered.

"Got a human outside," she informed. "Definitely not UNSC standard equipment. A tentacle haired xeno similar to the one back on your ship."

Shepard only needed a moment with them in view to recognize them. She got up and walked through the fauna and towards the familiar man that was outside the shuttle.

"We're good," she assured Phoenix.

Liara and Javik followed the commander out of the bush. They were just as surprised as Shepard to see James standing with his assault rifle at the ready. James himself was happily surprised when his crewmates and the commander appeared from the trees.

"Damn, Lola!" He exclaimed. "You're the last person I expected to walk out of the bush."

He returned his rifle to his back.

"James," Shepard replied, shocked by his presence.

Last she'd seen him was when he went with Major Maeral back on Earth. Last she knew he had been inside the ten story building when it collapsed. Kasumi had told her over radio that they'd been overrun up there and she had to get Rymia out before they were surrounded themselves. It was damn good to see the young Aey'Syyon sitting on the shuttle door.

The purple carapaced female looked up when she heard Shepard's voice. Her tendril hair was black and reached to her shoulders, but not passed them. She had a pair of soft yellow eyes. She clapped her taloned hands together.

"Commander!" She shrieked aloud in excitement.

She got up and ran over and hugged Shepard, causing the commander to almost take a step back in surprise. After the initial impact she hugged the younger woman back and smiled.

"Good to see you to, Rymia."

James and Liara both smirked at the scene.

"I'm glad to see you made it out alright," Shepard told them sincerely.

"You too," Rymia voiced, snuggling her head against Shepard's armor.

Shepard should have been surprised by the Japanese thief decloaking next to her, but she was far to use to her friend, even when she didn't know she was there in the first place.

"Hey Shep!" She said cheerfully. "Nice catchin' you here."

Phoenix was surprised by the girl suddenly popping into existence. Liara and Javik had gotten a bit use to her during their missions together prior to the assault on Earth.

"Kas, I'm glad to see you're safe," Liara said.

"Right back at you," Kasumi answered.

Rymia eventually let Shepard leave her grip, but continued smiling excitedly at her.

Shepard noticed a fourth man appeared from the shuttle. Major Maeral. He had been attempting to repair the shuttle so they could fly it out of here when they crashed. He was relieved to have it be the human Spectre to come for them. The Normandy crew was clearly someone one could count on, he told himself.

"Commander, glad to see you. I wasn't sure you made it off Earth," he said with a smile.

"Wasn't her first suicide mission," James reminded the STG officer.

Shepard throw a glance at Phoenix. She had picked up on that last part. Made it off Earth? She looked suspiciously at Shepard. She wanted to know what that was about, what they were hiding from them. They had been open on their universe, but not the events that occurred before they arrived at New Australia in the first place. Shepard gave her a look that said, later. Phoenix accepted it, for now. But something was off about it.

"True enough," Maeral conceded. He walked over to Shepard. "Perhaps you could fill us in on what's going on commander? We saw two fleets in orbit but couldn't identify either."

"Yeah, we got attacked by a bunch of aliens we've never seen before, Lola," James concurred.

"Covenant," Shepard said, not wanting to go through a long conversation at this point. "Long story. Go over later. What is important is how you got here."

"We got hit by the shockwave just as we went through the relay," Maeral explained in short.

"It hit us too," she confirmed. "This is hard to believe, but, right now, we're in an alternate reality."

After dropping the bomb, she watched their reactions.

James blinked after a moment.

"You say what?" He asked confused.

"When you were hit by the shockwave it somehow flung us through time and space into another universe. We can go over everything when we're out of the war zone." Shepard turned her head back to Phoenix. "We could use some pickup lieutenant."

"I'm on it."

James head was spinning. This was maddening. It was utterly crazy. Insane! But if Shepard believed it, it couldn't be to outrages. He'd followed her to Earth. Wasn't gonna stop now.

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long but I'm working again so, that's how it is.

Also, I wanted to have this be a bit longer but decided to move a calm scene back on the Normandy to the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11 Catching up

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 11 Catching up

 **New Australia, airbase Poseidon**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Shepard and her team was waiting for a ride back to their ship after a mission more of less successful. She and Becky met with Warfield and were greeted by happy news. Spartan Fireteam Echo had crippled the Covenant Assault Carrier that had acted as a flagship since their arrival. Because of this, the Covenant had halted their relentless attacks, temporarily. They still fought the UNSC but not as hard with their command chain damaged and six Sangheili high ranking officers killed during the assault by Echo. With UNSC reinforcements on their way things seemed to be turning around.

James, Major Maeral, Kasumi and Rymia had a debriefing with Garrus, Liara and a few officials from the UNSC. To Shepard's disapproval both Pontus Kaan and Colonel Rodrigez was there, along with an army colonel and two marine majors. Rodrigez had jumped them-more or less-and tried to roast them. Off course none her her people would have it and they shut him down.

James fired at the last target on the shooting range and reloaded his thermal clip with a smirk. He turned around to his comrades.

"Impressive timing, sir," the sergeant commended impressed. "Not a lot of folk can do that time."

"Beat that," he challenged cockily.

The sergeant left them alone, walking to a rack to tinker with a couple of rifles.

Zaeed stood with his arms crossed across his chest, his eyebrow arched slightly. Garrus was standing by a pair of crates with Kasumi sitting on top of them. Grunt was staring at Phoenix and Pierre sparring ten meters away, separated from them by glass. The two Spartans were still in armor and carried out a friendly sparring match.

"Eh, Grunt?" James asked, noticing his stare.

"I'm pretty sure he's fantasizing about shootin' somethin'," Zaeed theorized.

"Pissed he didn't kill a Reaper on his own," Garrus stated.

"Probably squashing someone's skull," Kasumi said, a tad to chipper.

Garrus throw her an eye and she smiled back.

"What?"

He shook his head.

"Never mind. Hey Grunt. Still in there?"

Grunt turned his head back to them.

"What?" He asked annoyed.

"You kinda went blank there for a moment buddy," Kasumi told him.

He looked back to the Spartans.

"Think they're really that tough?" He asked generally.

James looked at Garrus and Zaeed. He hadn't seen them do anything but ride a helicopter looking thing…Falcon they called if, fi he remembered correctly, and that was it.

"Where you blind through the whole damn forest crap?" Garrus asked, a bit insulted for the Spartans. He seem them go, and there was no denying they were badasses. "Three-um, Pierre I mean, kicked Covie ass."

Zaeed shifted his feet and took a step in James's direction, coming up on Grunts left side.

"That Commander of theirs and the last guy, Daniel, were pretty effective in clearing the airfield of Covies," he added his own two cent.

James arched an interested eyebrow.

"So…" he whispered intensely. "Could one of them beat the commander?"

Sitting on her box, Kasumi hugged her legs with interest and licked her lips. She looked at the boys, waiting for the answer.

Garrus spoke up first.

"No way in hell!" He claimed, chuckling it off as a joke.

Zaeed looked at him.

"Oh come on, Massani. Super soldiers or not, think they could take down a Reaper?"

Zaeed gave it some serious thought. It got Garrus a bit riled up to see Jane's abilities coming in question.

"Maybe."

"Well they look up for it," Kasumi added her opinion. "Can't say more though."

Garrus wildly shook his head.

"Didn't you call them badass a second ago?" James countered.

Grunt silently watched his crewmates argue amongst themselves. He looked very amused.

"They are good at killing grunts, jackals and elites," Garrus continued his protesting. "But that's pretty damn far from a Reaper."

"They haven't even seen a Reaper before," Zaeed defended.

"To the point exactly!"

"No, I meant that if they had fought a Reaper, I think they'd have won. Least give 'em a shot." He looked over at Pierre and Phoenix. "I wouldn't have minded having those guys back on Earth. Might have saved some good soldiers."

James nodded solemnly in vehement agreement.

"Could they take down all of them?" Garrus throw in his counter argument. He had a victorious and very smug look on his Turian face.

Grunt finished the debate by laughing at the notion.

The Krogan's laugh caught both Spartans attention and they stopped their friendly sparring match.

"Fair enough point," Zaeed conceded to Garrus.

Kasumi raised her right hand.

"For the record, I never doubted Shep in the first place. Just case she ever asks 'bout this."

The other snickered, apart from Grunt. He didn't do snickering. He laughed and possibly chuckled, but nothing less. Ever.

"Traitor," Zaeed teased.

"Old merc bastard," she replied.

"Worthless thief."

"Oh dude, too far."

He grinned and cocked is head back.

"I'm gonna challenge one of them," grunt decided.

Everyone turned to him.

"Who, the Spartans?" Zaeed asked.

It felt like a terrible idea to him.

Grunt replied by marching over to them.

With a head wave from Garrus, he and the others followed the tank bred over. Both Pierre and Phoenix stood and watched the Krogan approaching. He stopped in front of them.

"Who dares going a round against me," he challenged.

Pierre looked to his comrade and she nodded.

"Let's go lizard," Phoenix replied with a cocky and hard voice.

Pierre stepped back to give them room and joined the Normandy folk.

Grunt slammed his clenched fists together.

"Sure about this?" Garrus asked.

"Yep."

"Just because Shepard could take 'em, doesn't mean you can."

Phoenix coked her head to the side.

"You're commanders tough," she acknowledged. "But not that tough."

The Normandy crew wasn't convinced of that. If she only knew the kind of insanity Shepard had pulled in the past three years.

Zaeed leaned in towards Garrus.

"Ten credits on the Spartan," he bet.

Garrus eyed him.

He wasn't sure Grunt could pull it off either.

"I'm game," James declared. "Ya got this big guys!"

Grunt grinned and cracked his knuckles. Phoenix waved him over.

Grunt throw the first punch, missing when the Spartan ducked and kicked him in the chest twice. He throw another punch, barely missing, but she punched his wrist away and kicked him in the chest again and went for a gauntleted fist to the cheek. He took a step to the side, out of her temporary reach. He shook his head and throw another punch. She blocked him and kicked him in the leg.

He stepped close and attempted to head butt her, but she had quicker reflexes and sidestepped him, delivering a trio of fists to his side.

But she was quick to discover that a Krogan could take a punch without going down. In a microsecond decision she body slammed into him with her much force she could bring in a span of a second before impact. He was staggered slightly, but was quick to regain his footing and land a punch in her side. Even a Spartan felt the impact when his fist crashed into her armor.

She took several steps back and took up a defensive stance.

Grunt came at her with a new head butt. Phoenix bolted out of the way and kicked him twice in the back. He turned around and throw a punch in the air.

Garrus wasn't sure this was a good idea. They were going at each other awfully hard. A normal person would have their bones turned into dust already. Then again Grunt wasn't human and Phoenix, well…she was a super soldier. Clearly she could handle him just fine, this far. He looked over at the others. James and Zaeed seemed intrigued enough but Kasumi simply shook her head at the sparring aka Deathmatch. Depending on your point of view. These two weren't holding back.

"Have fun killing each other," she said as she turned around and started leaving.

Garrus throw a glanced at the other Spartan. Pierre didn't seem to mind. He probably knew what his friend could take ands expected Garrus and them to know the same about Grunt. If they needed to, they'd pull them apart and end the match. Or if it risked getting out of hand.

Grunt once again missed Phoenix when he charged her and she punched him square in the jaw and kicked him three times. He turned around quickly and cracked his neck before launching himself at her again. He had a spark of anger in his eyes, which Garrus-and certainly the others-noticed. Phoenix-as expected-slipped out of his way, but not his reach. He half stopped and grabbed her gauntleted hand, he then spun around and slammed her through the glass and into the shooting range section.

"Bloody hell!" Zaeed exclaimed.

Phoenix was up in about two seconds after going through the window. She ran at Grunt and throw a punch in midair. She clipped him square in the face but he still pummeled her in the gut with a strong clenched fist.

She lowered herself down to the floor and kicked his right leg in rapid succession, quickly getting the Krogan to topple over.

Grunt wasn't taking this lying down. No way would the human beat him. No way! Humans wasn't strong enough to hold him back. Perhaps Shepard but she didn't count.

The onlookers was quickly through the door and inside the shooting range.

Pierre stopped the sergeant from calling security with a, _we got this_ , gesture. The troopers and marines on the range stared with gaping mouths at the scene.

As Grunt got up, Garrus and Zaeed got in front of him and James put a firm hand on his arm.

"Alright that's enough Grunt," Garrus was quick to tell him.

"Yeah, this getting out of hand," Zaeed agreed.

Grunt only growled in reply, glaring at Phoenix. She looked eager to continue too. As if with a mutual agreement in silence, both moved to leap at the other.

"Stop!" Garrus shouted and violently pushed Grunt back. It wasn't much, given who he pushed, but enough to get the Krogan to give him a glance. Progress!

Pierre stood tall in front of Phoenix and quietly berated her for not knowing when to stop.

"Get out of my way, Turian," Grunt growled menacingly.

The Turian stared back up at him, not moving an inch. He then shook his head.

"Or suite yourself."

"Enough ya big ole' lizard!" the old merc demanded. "You sparred for what, less than a minute and ya did all this. If it gets out of hand this quickly, you aren't meant to spar with Spartans. Spartans and Krogan aren't a good match. Not here."

Grunt stepped forward, intending to push them out of his way, one way or another.

"Who do you want dealing with this? Us or Shepard?" James added, hoping a threat involving Shepard would work some much needed magic.

Grunt thought it over in his head. He had had many a speech and lectures from Shepard since they first met. He never liked them. He was pretty sure he would get hell for this. He didn't look forward to that.

"Fine," he grumbled.

The Turian and both humans breathed out in relief.

It had taken Shepard fifteen minutes to hear about the fight. A giant lizard fighting a Spartan didn't go unnoticed by marines nor troopers. Garrus wasn't sure why they thought she might not find out in the first place. Rumor spread like a shockwave throughout the airbase. On a more personal level, he felt like he had let her down, bigtime.

"What were you thinking!?" Shepard shouted in outrage. "You throw an ally through a glass wall!"

She stared at Grunt with fire burning in her angry eyes.

Grunt was looking slightly away from her, downward.

"She could handle it," he mumbled.

"Oh so that makes it alright, does it!"

She then turned her attention to the mercenary, Turian and marines. They stood on a line, no one looked very confident at the moment.

"And you three, you just let it happen? You let him wrestle a Spartan in an uncontrolled Deathmatch!"

"I-it wasn't a-a Deathmatch," Zaeed clarified meagerly. "Not really. More of a sparring match gone awry."

Shepard turned her firing glare directly to the older merc.

"A little awry?" She asked demandingly. "A little awry?" She throw her arms into the air. "A normal person would have died!"

"We never intended it to get out of hand, Shepard," Garrus promised her. "I'm sorry. I take full responsibility for the incident." Garrus straightened his stance and stood at attention.

Shepard turned her stern angry eyes to the Turian and crossed her arms. She throw a glance at Grunt. He looked as defiant as ever. She shook her head and sighed.

"We're supposed to be on the same side here. I'm still considering what to do with you, but don't worry. I'll think of something."

"Can't wait," James mumbled under his breath.

Shepard looked at Grunt.

"No rematch. Understand?"

He grumbled and nodded.

"Yes, Shepard."

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Desi Lyon leaned her head back against the ground and breathed out. She slowly then sucked in the chilling evening air. She looked left, where her alien friend was sitting. Syae had just started on a new sketch.

"What is it?" Desi inquired.

"Huh? What is what?" Syae asked confused.

She had gotten caught up in her sketch.

The trooper nodded to her sketchbook.

"That. That's it gonna be? Me?"

Syae smirked.

"No. I'm not sketching you."

"Oh, bummer." She sat up. "Then wha' is it?"

"I'm sketching myself. Not so good at that. Never get my frame right."

Desi furrowed her eyebrows with interest.

"Then why draw yourself?"

"Because I want to commemorate the moment when I took on a Platoon sized force of Covenant on my own."

Desi's eyes widened.

"You what? Seriously?" She sounded very impressed. "That's like…Spartan levels!"

"They were impressive too, I'm sure," Syae answered with disinterest. "How many elites have you killed?"

"In total?"

"Yes."

"Uh. Donno, like…ah, hmm…one?"

Syae looked at her.

"That's it? Only one tiny elite."

Desi looked away.

"Well, I'm just an army girl. Don't fight like a crazed super soldier or alien ass-kicker," she defended herself.

Syae breathed out.

"I didn't mean to criticize you. I am…sorry…if I did."

"N-no. It's okay. I'm, ah…I've never seen a xen-alien before. Covies never come to N.A before."

Syae looked at her for a moment.

"Were you born on this planet?" She then asked.

Desi chuckled anxiously.

"Yep. I sure was. My parents, grandparents, all born here. My family goes all the way back to the second way of colonist's generations ago." She sat up and looked at Syae. "I, ah…I'm not gonna let 'em assholes take my home from me."

"Are you worried about your family?"

Desi nodded sadly.

Syae decided to talk about something less sad and emotional.

"Where did you grow up?"

"In a suburban neighborhood, capital itself! My dad was an ONI scientist straight through and got a nice pay every month. Mom was a scientist too. Met through an ONI research project into Covenant weaponry almost thirty or so years ago. Just when the Covenant butchered the first few colonies. At the time, nobody knew anythin' about them, no name, race or shit."

"You joined the army when both your parents were scientists?" Syae inquired. "That would be seen as a family betrayed back home. Well, a century ago at least. Things changed."

Desi giggled.

"My parents wasn't happy campers. Hell no!" She lost her smile. "They were outraged when they found out. Claimed they had lined out my entire future and I throw it all in the trash. I never asked to be a child prodigy."

Syae's curiosity was peaked.

"Got your parents intelligence?"

"Ya bet. Smartest girl in my grade. Every year, every school. Maybe I was rebelling against my parents by joining the army."

"They probably wanted you safe," Syae told her gently in her echoing voice. "Probably thought you'd be safer in a laboratory then in an army uniform fighting the Covenant on the front lines."

Desi seemed surprised by her reasoning, but didn't say anything and Syae didn't push.

Inside the Normandy itself Gabriela Daniels was very happy that the medical bay was up and running again. In a few hours the UNSC engineering boys had gotten the place back up in action. Lying on a biobed in the med-bay was much better they on a makeshift bed in the cargo bay.

Thanks to Chakwas medical magic her injures from the crash was as good as healed. The burns on her hands and face was almost all gone and she could touch without it hurting like hell.

Kenneth caught her attention when he started mumbled in his bed to her left. She turned and half sat up.

"Kenneth?"

He groaned and turned his head to her.

"Gabe?"

"How you doing, Kenneth?" She asked concerned.

"Just fine," he claimed. "Where am-"

"Med-bay. Tali's new goons fixed it," Daniels explained. "They got CIC and crew quarters patched up too. Adams said they're working on the War room right now, under supervision from Urdnot Wrex."

"Bet his happy about that," Donnelly mumbled amused.

Daniels giggled lightly.

"Tuchanka President delegated to guard duty," he continued.

"Pretty sure Krogan's don't call it President," Daniels pointed out teasingly.

"I know that," Donnelly defended promptly.

"I know. I'm just pulling your leg," she told him pleasantly.


	12. Chapter 12 Let's have a drink

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 12 Let's have a drink

 **New Australia, Military HQ**

 **2551, April 27** **th**

Geraldino was looking over a strategic map of the system. They had bought some time by taking down the flagship. Well, disabling it at least. But the Covenant would soon be pushing forward again. He expected them to have reinforcements on the way. But so did the UNSC. It just depended on who got there first. If they could win the space battle, they could hold New Australia against any Covenant ground forces already planetside.

He gave a moment to think over the _Normandy_ situation. He disagreed to the extreme with Warfield's decision to give the human-xeno crew a slipspace drive. Handing over that kind of technology to an unknown element was, a terrible idea, at best. Now he couldn't deny they were effective in dealing with the Covenant in the Anju Forest. Thank god. Fireteam Sphinx commended their performance, their fighting spirit and mental abilities-or biotic powers, as they called it. An impressive sight apparently.

He wasn't sure if he believed that the powers couldn't be…harvested or copied in some way. ONI certainly didn't buy it. Colonel Prescott wanted proof and an investigation into the biotic talents of _Normandy's_ combat team. Since no one else had time for that-with an alien invasion and all that-every notion of pursuing the issue was shut down. Geraldino had better things to consider. Even if Commander Shepard was lying, they didn't have time to prove she was. She was an important part of defending New Australia in the coming days, weeks. However long it took to push the Covenant back, or at least force them to pay for every piece of the planet.

Something else he agreed to on the other hand, was Warfield's decision to help the _Normandy_ upgrade their personal barriers. They couldn't risk losing half of them because of bad shields. He was considering Warfield's request to help them with strengthening their ships shields too. But he wasn't sure yet.

Sparta appeared on the holotank beside him.

"Hi," she said with a concerned look.

He glanced to her.

"Sparta. You have an update from the marine Platoons?"

"Sort of. Well, more like the opposite I suppose," she answered. "I've lost contact with the other two now. Last report was that they were moving in and the other was trying to clean up the Covies in the vicinity of crash zone Charlie."

Geraldino tilted his head and sighed.

"Damn. No idea what happened?"

"No, admiral."

"Rats," he muttered. "Wasn't just some junk. Something else from the Normandy's…universe perhaps."

Sparta arched her eyebrows and smirked.

"That means you believe their story?" She asked hopeful.

He glared at her.

"Not the time," he berated.

She shifted her blue holographic feet and raised her spear towards him.

"Then perhaps we should speak to Commander Shepard about this!" She declared vehemently. "Her team may have some insight, once they see what it actually was." She titled her head and relaxed her stance. "Sir, General Warfield requests to deploy Fireteam Echo immediately and send Fireteam Sphinx to protect the Normandy until it is fully repaired."

"A Spartan team on protection duty?" Geraldino inquired. He shook his head. "Sphinx is an elite team. More missions on their record then a marine can count."

"Given the increased Covenant presence in the region, a Spartan presence could be prudent," Spartan suggested. "May I suggest Apollo?"

He thought of it. Fireteam Apollo was a newly arrived team of Spartan IIIs. They didn't have any real mission experience. Only one mission under their belt. Carried out with precision and excellence, but they weren't as experienced as Echo or Sphinx. If anyone should be spared to protect a ship, it should probably be them. All this said, being Spartans made them excel regular soldiers in every capacity.

"Send Apollo to Normandy's location," he decided. "Dispatch Echo to location Alpha to investigate the object and the missing marines. I want Sphinx sent to fight the Covenant at Warfield's pleasure."

"Affirmative!" She clapped her spear against her round shield and stood at attention.

 **New Australia, Falcon Tango 40**

 **2551, April 28** **th**

Apollo One wasn't appreciative of their first role on New Australia. After two months in a freezer to get here she had looked forward to a short briefing on their mission and then to carry it out effectively. But instead they finding out the Covenant was invading when they were brought out of cryo. She had then expected to be deployed immediately. Instead they had been squandered by a day and a half at HQ and now deployed to the sidelines. Or protection detail, as the Admiral had explain in the short briefing. She was a bit disappointed at all of this. Wasn't a group of regular soldiers better for this then Spartans? Spartans had proven time and again their abilities. Even many of the doubters and haters often had to agree they were the best at killing xenos.

Either way, she felt they were squanders by this mission. She wasn't going to argue it off course. If the Commander-an-chief of all UNSC forces on N.A wanted them at Point Normandy, it was his prerogative and he clearly had a better picture of everything going on than any of them. Although it felt like overkill, she wouldn't complain or let anyone else do so. They would kill this mission their all.

" _Only a few minutes to the landing zone,"_ the female pilot told them.

"Copy that," she responded.

Her four teammates was gathered in the Falcon with her. Two was beside her and three and four across from her.

Three was putting her MA5 together after taking it apart.

Apollo one was wearing a Mjolnir GEN2 Powered Assault Armored, colored in black and silver. Her teammates use the same armor, but different color schemes. The Spartans were quite. They had all voiced their objections to their assignment already. Now they were focusing on carrying it out. The biggest problem was cooperating with xenos. She expected a few minor statements of displeasure but nothing else. Personally she didn't mind xenos. If they could kill Covies, it was enough for her to accept and work with them.

"How many xenos in this crew?" Three asked.

"Irrelevant," Apollo lead responded.

"Respectfully boss, I disagree," she said.

She looked at the Spartan sternly.

"As long as they are on our side, Mira, it doesn't matter." She stared at her for another moment. "Remember that when we land, Mira."

Mira nodded firmly.

"Won't be a problem. I assure you, Jaguar," she said as she finished her rifle.

"Question boss," Apollo two, Lee spoke up. "Once we land, you in command right?"

Jaguar was a bit confused by his line on questioning.

"Why do you ask?"

"I mean this Commander gal," Lee explained in further detail. "Admiral didn't give any details to the rest of us. We're not taking orders from him right?"

"Do you have a problem with that? Presuming she's in command?"

With only one mission together, Jaguar didn't have a feel for her teammates yet. She didn't have the knowledge to predict their mind sets and actions yet. They would get there soon enough.

Lee shifted his yellow, red and black armored frame slightly and leaned forward.

"I'll follow you to hell and back boss," Lee assured her. He leaned back, ending his part of the conversation.

" _Landing, sir,"_ the pilot informed.

"Thank you," Jaguar said.

The Falcon landed and the Spartan IIIs walked out. Jaguar looked at the army troopers spread out around the area. She saw Fireteam Sphinx coming up to meet them with two humans in strange armor. She presumed one of them was Commander Shepard. She didn't know who the man beside her was, but it could be her second in command.

Jaguar stopped and saluted the other Spartan.

"Commander."

"Two-zero-six," Becky acknowledged. She saluted back.

"Relieving you, sir," Jaguar said.

Becky nodded and gestured for her team to get inside the Falcon. She then turned to the presumed Shepard.

"Commander Shepard," she said.

"Good luck Sphinx one," the crimson haired woman responded. "Don't hesitate if you need us."

"I'll keep that in mind." They shook hands. "I'll leave you in Apollo's very capable hands."

She walked towards the Falcon to join her team and Shepard turned to face the leader of the fireteam. Jaguar snapped off a salute to the commander and Shepard saluted back before offering her hand.

"Commander Shepard, CO of the Normandy," she introduced herself pleasantly. She gestured to the man beside her. "Major Kaiden Alenko."

Jaguar gave the armored hand a glance over before accepting it politely with a firm grip.

"Petty Officer two-zero-six, Apollo lead," she replied.

"Got a name?" Shepard asked.

Jaguar looked plainly at her for a moment. It was the first time since leaving Earth anyone asked for her name. Rank and number was always enough.

"Jaguar. Pleased to meet you commander, major." Her eyes stuck to a purple carapaced xeno in the background. She had never seen her species before. It looked pretty much like what the Admiral had told her. "We'll make sure the Covenant doesn't get to your ship before it's functional."

"I have no doubt about it," Shepard said.

Lee was counting four xenos in view, this far. They looked friendly enough. At least they weren't shooting at them, always a good sign. A few of them didn't look very friendly though. There was a carapaced female-presumably-with tentacle hair, and surprisingly a trooper was sitting with her. A pair of lizard looking things paced about, and the last was a frog-looking guy.

Apollo four-Dominic-came up on his side. He wore a blue armor compared to Lee's red, yellow and black one.

"Didn't expect seeing an alien not shootin' at me," Dominic said.

"You don't say," Lee mumbled in response.

Dominic made a mental note that the troopers didn't seem to have a problem with the xenos. They weren't exactly interacting-apart from one-but he didn't seen any suspicious or dirty looks thrown around. That's what he loved about the lower ranks. They just floated about and accepted what the brass tossed in their faces.

"Troopers seem okay with all this," he told Lee.

The fifth member of their team came up to stand beside them, putting Lee in the middle.

Apollo five aka Luke. He was the only member with a Semi Powered Infiltrator armor. It used a grey color scheme. He was the teams heavy and despite his regular size-for a Spartan-he packed a hell of a punch.

"Check that guy out," Luke said, motioning to the larger of the two lizards. He had a set of heavy red armor and seemed to sigh at the slightly smaller lizard. "But he could rip a brutes head right off."

"I bet anything short of a tank is history if it gets in his way," Dominic chided in, ending with a light chuckle.

"Same could be said 'bout us," Lee muttered dryly. "We're Spartans, not babysitters. Assign another Platoon of marines or troopers. Hell, they think two dozen guys weight more than five Spartans? That's damn insulting."

"Brass think it's important to ensure these folk as safe to get their ship flying again," Dominic said. He eyes Shepard. "Commander looks kinda badass."

Lee looked at him and Dominic just looked back at him.

"Command trusts 'em," the Spartan reminded.

Lee raised his right hand.

"Look, if command says they're our buddies, fine. I'm just gonna roll with it, but we know jack about them."

Luke gestured forward and started walking.

"So ask 'em," he said simply.

Dominic and Lee looked at him for a moment. Jaguar finished up with the commander and joined the three, with Mira joining in too.

"What's up boss?" She asked.

"For now, sit tight. Not much to do but prepare for a potential Covie attack," Jaguar told her team. "The commander offered to get me up to speed on their exact situation, you get a look around, find defendable ground. Lee."

Lee straightened slightly.

"Boss."

"Got a ledge looking over the valley below over there-" she nodded in the direction. "Get over there and check it out."

"On it."

With a final nod, Jaguar finished the conversation and walked after Shepard. Lee marched off to the ledge out in the woods. That left Mira, Luke and Dominic standing alone.

"Come on," Dominic said, starting to walk.

Inside the Frigate Jaguar looked around as she followed Shepard to the CIC. It was an impressive design. Hell more colors then on a UNSC ship. Not that colors made much difference, but it felt more comfy, is all. Kaiden was walked beside Jaguar and Shepard.

"Looked better before the crash," he told her.

"I can imagine," she said simply.

" _Hey, Shepard,"_ Garrus chided through the comm.

"Yes?" Shepard asked, reaching for her comm.

" _Got a situation in the lounge, wanna get down here?"_

"What kind of situation?"

" _Eh, better you just come down,"_ Garrus promptly suggested.

"Be right there," she turned to Kaiden. "Start without me, ok."

He nodded.

"Understood."

"Sorry, hopefully it won't take long," Shepard apologized to the Spartan.

"No need, commander," Jaguar told her. "See to your ship."

Shepard took the elevator down, musing what the problem might be. And why in the lounge. If her mind hadn't been racing constantly about the situation, the enemy and her crew, she might have come up with an answer before getting there.

When she entered, she saw Garrus standing by the bar, pouring up a pair of drinks. Shepard furrowed her eyebrows. There was absolute no one else here. Clearly no situation of any kind.

"Garrus?" She asked demandingly.

He smiled at her.

"Yeah, sorry about the presumed deception, Jane."

"Presumed?"

"I said we had a _situation_ , could really be anything," he argued his case. He waved her over.

She sighed but complied with the Turian.

"We need to talk. Not a lot. Just a few words really," he explained in a gentle tone. "We started a conversation back in the forest, remember? I think we need to finish it."

Shepard crossed her arms over her chest with a disproving look.

"I don't have time for-"

"Then make the time," he interrupted carefully. "We're having this conversation, if you want to or not." He pushed a glass of unknown liquor her way and gestured like a proper gentleman that she should sit down.

Doing so, she kept a sigh in. looking down at the glass, she grabbed it and emptied half of it in a single motion. Garrus sipped down his entire glass at once and grabbed the bottle with blue liquid to refill in. he filled his own and turned to Shepard. She took down the last in her glass.

"A refill?"

"This is probably a bad time, but…"

The Turian arched his eyebrows.

She looked into his eyes for a moment.

"To hell with it," she decided. "Pour."

He smirked and filled her glass and then his own.

"Turian brandy is sitting just fine after the shitty week we've had," he mentioned. "First Earth and the Reapers, then dimension hopping and a new enemy. Religious fanatics who just happen to also wanna destroy Earth, not to mention humanity all together."

Shepard grabbed her glass and leaned forward slightly, putting her left arm on the table.

"Calling it a, shitty week, is a light word," she added somberly.

"No argument," he agreed.

He continued with emptying his second glass, moments before Jane did the same.

"Something I'm better at you at," he noted. She arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Downing a glass."

She snickered.

"Don't be so sure. Pour another."

He complied and filled both their glasses.

"Ready? On one," he decided. "Three…" Jane gripped her glass. "…two…one."

They both started emptying their glasses simultaneously. But Shepard's glass hit the table two seconds before Garrus's.

"Sprits," Garrus muttered with a smirk. "Guess not, huh."

When Jane smirked he leaned over the table.

"Jane…" he said just over his breath. She locked eyes with the handsome Turian. "…I love you." He gently took her hands in his.

Shepard dropped her barriers for a moment, let her emotions out.

"I love you too," she replied sincerely with all her heart.


	13. Chapter 13 Through rain and death

I know this chapter is really short, but I had some trouble writing this with a giant writers block, so in the end I rounded it down and started focusing on the next chapter. Nothing really important was dropped or moved. Just shortened and less time waisted. I'm hoping on getting the next chapter out very soon too!

* * *

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 13 Through rain and death

 **New Australia, Military HQ**

 **2551, April 28** **th**

Prescott activated the screen and Rodrigez appeared. He had a monotone expression on his face. Like Prescott, he sat behind his desk. His hands in his knees, clenched lightly.

"Rodrigez," Prescott acknowledged.

"Colonel Prescott," Rodrigez greeted. "Have you heard from the Director I take it?"

Prescott nodded slowly, watching the colonel carefully.

"I have indeed." He was quiet for a moment, seeing the colonel tilting is head in anticipation. "ONI brass has decided to leave the Normandy crew alone. They feel that the assistance the…" he read on a datapad in front of him. "…Commander Shepard, and her crew can provide more then we can get from tearing their ship apart and interrogate the xeno…" he paused to clear his throat. "…the aliens."

Rodrigez was fuming. His clenched fists was twitching as he clenched harder and harder.

"I disagree, sir," he gritted through his teeth. "We need to do whatever it takes, to win this war. We can't let xenos get in our way. Humanity's future is at stake."

Prescott leaned forward.

"I understand your position, Estaban," he said firmly, trying to get his point across. "But the Director has made his decision perfectly clear. Besides, we don't have the authority to do it."

"ONI has the authority to-" Rodrigez exclaimed fumingly.

"NOT, during Winter Contingency," Prescott growled warningly. "Leave the Normandy crew alone and focus on your tasks." He gave him a warning glare. "Good day Colonel."

He ended the transmission.

He grumbled to himself and rubbed his temple.

On his own end, Rodrigez was cursing and fuming, throwing his fists into his desk in anger. He was right, Prescott betrayed him. He betrayed humanity! ONI had turned against him!

 **New Australia,** _ **Normandy**_ **crash site**

 **2551, April 28** **th**

Hamilton looked over when Desi skipped over and leaned against the tree opposite him and Matias.

"Boys, what's new?" She asked casually.

"Tired of your hot alien friend?" Hamilton asked.

"Problem ya to scared to talk to her?" She shot back with a smirk.

Matias looked at Hamilton.

"Walk right into that buddy," he told him amused.

Hamilton nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, yeah." Hamilton smiled a bit. "Hey, I saw ya speak to that, eh, little xeno."

"They're both Aey'Syyon actually. Live on a pretty little planet in another universe. Her names Rymia. Apparently the girls a bloody genius."

Matias chuckled.

"What?" Desi asked, disliking the tone.

"You believe the damn other universe thing? Really?" He questioned. "It'd be great if it was true, but, come on corporal."

She glared at him lightly.

"I believe them," she stated firmly, crossing her arms.

"Because the person telling you was hot," Hamilton accused teasingly. "I mean, I'd probably do it too, if I got to tap that carapaced ass."

Matias shivered at the thought and Desi rolled her eyes.

"We just had a few innocent conversations," she said.

"Right, none of our business anywho," Matias shrugged.

At first, Tali thought it really awkward to have a bunch of human engineers from another universe to order around. If anything they were obedient and skilled. No one ever complained about an alien commanding them around. Least not to her face anyway. Together with Rymia she had been working in engineering. She wasn't letting the UNSC near the most important systems, and EDI kept a watchful eye on them all.

The little shy Aey'Syyon was a little genius. She drew up her own blueprint of the Core in half an hour of studying it to figure out how to get it working again. Tali had just suggested she'd use a computer but she wanted to make her own picture of the situation, she said. Couldn't argue with the result though.

She had taken a short break to eat when she saw Shepard approaching. But before she could sit down with her one of the new Spartans caught her.

"Petty officer," Shepard said.

"Commander," Jaguar greeted back. "I've been contacted by Admiral Geraldino. Got a request for you, ma'am."

"What is it?" Shepard folded her arms over her chest.

"Short story, three objects crashed at the same time you did, we only got men out there recently and we've lost contact with 'em. Three marine Platoons and a pair of Spartans. It could be interference but we've spotted Covenant in the area too, investigating the crashes too."

"You need us to help check it out, if you're people are in danger or just out got radio trouble," Shepard summarized.

Jaguar nodded.

"Pretty much. What should I tell the admiral?"

Shepard nodded firmly.

"MY people won't mind some actions, more inaction actually. I trust you give us a ride there."

"Falcons on the way on my mark," Jaguar said. "Three teams, Fireteam Sphinx awaits your arrival."

Shepard shined up. She liked the thought of working with Becky and her Spartans again.

"Keep my ship safe, will ya?"

"You can count on me," the Spartan III promised.


	14. Chapter 14 Betrayal

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 14 Betrayal

 **New Australia, Bravo zone**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

Daniel was the first to jump out of the Falcon as it landed. Shepard, Garrus, Javik and Wrex. The Krogan was very excited about leaving the _Normandy_ for some possibility to fight and kill. Shepard could understand him a bit. He had spent a decent time on board the ship while most of her teammates had been with her, fighting the Covenant. From a Krogan perspective, that was all kinds of boring.

A dozen marines accompanied them as support.

"Wow," Garrus voiced as he looked at the terrain around them.

The beautiful mountains that stretched towards the sky was overrun to a gorgeous bed of green fauna that stretched in every direction of the mountainous valley.

"We have to go down to reach our goal," Daniel told them.

"We remember," Garrus told him.

"Should get going, Commander," Daniel suggested to Shepard, ignoring Garrus reply.

She nodded.

"Let's move out people. We got a crater to watch."

"That sounds so much less exciting that fighting aliens did before," Wrex commented. "Let's stick to the concept of finding the aliens below and shooting some."

Shepard smirked slightly.

"If it makes you feel better, Wrex," she said.

"It does," he grinned. "Hehehe."

The five started their walk down towards the impact zone with the marines in tow. The marines was under the temporary command of a Helljumper, rank Gunnery Sergeant.

The black armored helljumper marched with firm and light steps across the grass covered ground. She walked behind the aliens, and at point of the marines. These marines were from a Company who had lost every single officer of significant rank. The remaining fourth of the men had a Corporal to share amongst them. So until further notice they were put under the command of none-marines. Having an ODST as unit officer wasn't something they complained about. No way. No way. And working with a Spartan was even greater. Something to brag about in the barracks later on. The marines felt invisible at this very moment.

"My uncle had a house in a similar mountain valley," one of the marines said. "Just as gorgeous as this place."

"Pretty magical, isn't it?" A feminine voice agreed.

"I'd love to live here man," a third voiced.

"This areas likely crawling with Covenant troops," Javik said aloud. "They shall kill you on sight human."

"W-well, uh, I was just thinking out loud."

"Cheerful as ever I see," Garrus glanced at his Prothean friend.

"Talking about things that will never be is pointless, ignoring facts will get him and his fellow soldiers killed," Javik uttered flatly.

The ODST smirked under her helmet.

 _I like him_ , she thought.

"You're a shining star in the darkness of a universe of chaos, Javik," the Commander said.

Javik raised an eyebrow.

When Garrus muffled a snicker, he arched his eyebrow even higher.

"They're fifty thousand years younger than you," Shepard reminded him with a smirk. "Give 'em a break."

The marines stared in awe. Was that alien over fifty thousand years old?

Someone whistled within their numbers.

"Stow it marines," The ODST Gunnery Sergeant ordered. She spoke in a beautiful French accent. There was a bit of elegance in every word, but also authority.

The thick green canape was quick to cover up the sky from their eyes as they marched amongst the trees, down towards the crater representing Bravo zone.

If she hadn't be a career military officer Shepard could see herself maybe living in a place liek this. Back home obviously. Go giant space stations or cities. Just a house and an amazing view. Just her and nature. She threw a glance to Garrus. Well, maybe someone else than just her.

Daniel stopped and turned to Shepard and stopped.

"We should split up in smaller fireteams," he suggested. "Circle around in case there's a Covie present here."

"Alright," Shepard agreed. "Three per fireteam." She turned to the others. "Gunnery Sergeant Reed. Divide your men, two Wrex. Sphinx four, with me and you. Garrus with Javik and a marine.

"Yes, sir," Reed replied in a low but stern voice. She turned around to her men.

"You got it, Shepard," Garrus said. He looked at Daniel, but managed to keep his wish to glare back. Daniel was as likely as the others to have shot Riley and Jade. It might as well be Pierre, Phoenix or their Commander, but in the Turian's mind, Daniel was the best suspect. He had shown that he disliked aliens quite badly already since they met the fireteam.

Shepard's trio were the ones that made their way straight down as the other moved out on the left and right flanks.

Reed walked behind Shepard and Daniel, keeping an eye on her surroundings and one of Shepard. All she knew was that she wasn't from the UNSC and the aliens were their allies. Which didn't make sense. Neither of it. A human that wasn't from the UNSC? Was she from the Outer colonies that hadn't been destroyed? But that armor wasn't even close to resembling anything she had seen before. Her weapons wasn't familiar either. She had never seen or heard of any of the other aliens before. She was pretty sure she would have heard if new aliens had been spotted.

"You got a question, Gunny?" The Commander asked.

She stiffed slightly. The Commander hadn't even turned around to face her or look at her. Plus she was looking through her helmet.

"Uh, sorry sir," she apologized. "Permission to speak freely."

"Go ahead," Shepard allowed.

"I'm here to work with some humans that ain't UNSC, and aliens who's allied with us but aren't former Covenant soldiers, so, eh, I don't like being so out of the loop in battle, especially when it comes to the guys who is supposed to have my back."

Daniel looked over his shoulder.

"Classified," he said stoically. "Over your head, Gunny."

Shepard glanced at the Spartan III.

"Afraid the Lieutenants right, all that's classified by HIGHCOM. But I can tell you that my people is on your side and will fight the Covenant as long as they can hold a gun."

Gunnery Sergeant Reed was silent for a few seconds.

"Yes, sirs."

It was clear to Shepard that she had some resentment against Spartans.

Shepard took a step closer to Daniel.

"Heard anything new from the orbiting fleet?" She asked.

Daniel sighed inwardly.

"Not really. We're waiting for reinforcements, praying the Covenant won't get a major fleet here first. They we're screwed."

Shepard nodded slightly.

If they could hold N.A then it could be a good start for humanity to to keep the Covenant from advancing and slowly grounding them down. In space the Covenant overpowered the UNSC greatly in technology and numbers, but if on ground their troops dented to rely on sheer numbers to prevail. Human projectile weapons was effective enough and when faced with a heavily defended position, the Covenant often suffered heavy casualties.

After watching Earth burn already, she wasn't going to allow a religious Conglomerate to burn it again. Not as long as she was alive. She wouldn't allow it, no matter which universe. Never again.

" _Sir, we're in position,"_ a marine said through Daniel's com-link.

"Report," he ordered.

" _No covies in sight."_

"Copy, keep an eye out for our missing marines."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey, Shepard," Garrus reported in.

"Go, Garrus," she responded.

"We can see the crater from here. Some, uh, one hundred meters away now but we can see if through the forest. Lot of trees knocked down," he said. "No life in sight. Marines or Covenant."

"Understood."

"Any idea who it could be?"

"No."

She mused it could be a wreckage that was thrown here with them but she really had no way to know until they reached the crater. If anyone had survived someone should have spotted them already. This brought up where the marine Platoon had gone too? It indicated whomever it was, they weren't very friendly. She wouldn't mind a Company of Krogan.

Chuckling at her own idea, she really hoped for an army of Krogan. As unlikely as it were. They would be hiding in their ship.

Daniel informed the others over radio that they were approaching on the crater and ordered all others to follow in the advance. He gestured for the French accented Gunnery Sergeant to move out of the right flank.

"Commander," he almost whispered and stepped closer to her. "I believe we should assume the missing Platoon dead at this point."

"We haven't seen any evidence for that yet, Lieutenant," she reminded him. "They could still be alive, but their comms might be jammed. If they are inside the presumed crashed ship, it could be shielded."

The next seconds went by quickly. Shepard had fast reflexes, but the Spartan was faster. His combat knife was cracked through the N7 armor and ripped through flesh. A gasp escaped Jane's mouth, with pain and agony shooting through her body. Slowly, she looked down. The blade had pierced just above her waste and gut. Daniel was leaning in against her and whispered.

"Sorry Commander," he spoke in a cold voice. "But orders are orders. This is for the good of humanity."

He drew the combat knife out a stream of blood followed. Shepard put her hands on her bleeding wound to try to stop it, but there was too much blood to do with her hands.

She reached for her Omni-tool to get the desperately needed medi-gel, but a kick to the head knocked her to the ground. It all started going blurry, and the blurry tunnel vision was quickly turning into darkness as a puddle of blood formed in the grass.


	15. Chapter 15 Legends never die

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 15 Legends never die

 **New Australia, Bravo zone**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

Daniel ran at the Gunnery Sergeant. His shields soaked up her two bursts of high speed projectiles. She walked backwards and sidestepped quickly as the Spartan approached but Daniel was much faster and decked the ODST by knocking her over the head and kicking her in the chest. He kicked her BR55 away from her and placed a firm foot on her chest.

"Knew there was something wrong with you freaks," she sneered.

A bolt impacted his shields and it was followed by a barrage of rounds.

Daniel looked up to see two of the Normandy's xenos and a marine charging forward. They had been the closest and heard the gunfire and commotion taking place.

He drew the MA5C hanging on his back and fired a burst of three bullets. They smashed through the marines visor and through her skull. She dropped to the dirty grass covered forest ground, her blood coloring the grass.

Daniel ran behind cover to avoid the incoming barrage. Either way, his job was done. He just needed to finish these before his team could be contacted. He would simply make up an excuse. It wasn't a strange to claim the xenos betrayed them. Any human would buy that immediately. Anyone who wasn't a traitor. His eyes darted to the trooper.

Reed grabbed her BR55 and unloaded a burst towards him.

" _What's going on?"_ Wrex's voice came over the team-wide frequency. _"Shepard, what's happening over there?"_

Reed was the first to make a move to reply.

"All teams move your ass to our coordinates now!" She shouted. "Commander's down!"

It was enough for Wrex.

" _On our way!"_ He shouted back.

Fuck, Daniel cursed in his head. Goddammit!

Javik got to cover as he continued firing but Garrus didn't stop.

He ran right at Daniel, guns blazing. When his Vindicator thermal clip ran dry, he dropped the rifle and activated his Omni-blade. A screamed escaped him as he reached Daniel.

The Spartan ran to meet him. He fired six rounds into the Turian's shields before ducking to avoid the orange blade and then clocking the alien in the jaw with the rifle. With two fast punches in the head he brought the angry Turian down.

"Vakarian!" Javik shouted.

He quickly proceeded to fire his Particle rifle several times in quick succession. Nearby Reed reloaded her Battle rifle with a new mag.

"Flank him!" Javik told her. "Go on the left, I go right!"

She nodded.

"Copy!" She continued firing bursts as the Spartan ducked behind cover and reloaded his assault rifle.

Seeing a trio of marines coming out of the bush, he cursed again. This wasn't going as well as he predicted. That damn ODST was to blame for everything. That giant lizard and extra marines was reaching them too. Too damn fast.

Garrus was getting up too.

He lobbed a grenade over as he started bolting in another direction.

The marines throw themselves aside.

"Cover!" Reed cried out.

The grenades detonation didn't kill anyone but two marines was injured.

Wrex started unloading blast after blast with his shotgun.

"Shepard!" He yelled.

Lying in a puddle of her own blood, she didn't react. He knew she was either unconscious or…no, no or, she was unconscious. There was no other option. She was Shepard. She wasn't going to jus die from a stab wound, by the looks of it. He knew Jane could only die in two ways. Of old age or in battle. And that would be the most epic battle of all time. Something much more badass than Reapers would be needed in what would be the most epic battle ever.

Two successive blasts straight up was enough to bring down Daniels shields, finally.

He emptied his MA5C into Wrex's own, damaging the Krogan's shields before he ducked behind a tree. As did the marines with him.

The Spartan felt a bullet hit the edge of his helmet. It continued after scratching the side. Turning he saw Reed had fired the shot from her Battle rifle. He quickly pushed another clip into the Assault rifle and aimed for her. She ducked as slugs whizzed by her head.

Realizing the numbers was turning against him, Daniel retreated. Behind Wrex more marines were arriving. He half turned and fired two bursts of three bullets each. He managed headshots on two marines, piercing their helmets and skulls like watermelons.

Javik joined in on firing after the retreating Spartan. Marines and Wrex joined in.

Garrus had turned his attention to Jane. She was still lying on the ground, bleeding out. He rushed to her side.

"Jane! Jane!" He cried out. He kneeled be her side and cupped her head and turned it to look at him. Her eyes was closed. Desperately he tried to key his Omni-tool and administer Medi-gel. His talons seemed to slip on the commands. His desperation and fear clear in his hand movements.

He looked up when Javik put his hands on the wound, trying to stem the tide of blood.

Garrus finally got his trembling talons under control and managed to administer the medi-gel. But Jane had lost a lot of blood already. The wound was healed and wasn't bleeding anymore, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. Not even close.

 _Spirits, if you exist, please let her live_ , he thought, panic running through his mind. He felt a giant lump in his throat. _Otherwise, fuck off!_

"Gunnery Sergeant Reed!" He shouted. "Alert Sphinx lead and get your people to send a medevac for, Jane. Now!"

She immediately contacted Commander Becky.

Becky needed her to repeat herself once. She had trouble first believing what the ODST said had actually happened. No Spartan would just snap and go murderer like that. She wouldn't deny Daniel had issues beneath the surface, but he wasn't traitor or murderer material. Not like what she was hearing. No Spartan would do something like this. Never! But she couldn't believe that the ODST would lie about something this serious. She did keep her stoic exterior and voice through the conversation over the comms though.

"We need to go after the bastard," Wrex grunted angrily. "That guy needs to eat a shot from my Claymore."

Reed turned back to Garrus and the unconscious Commander.

"Sir, I've contacted Sphinx lead and command. Medivac on the way," she informed. She stepped towards them when Garrus shot her a distrusting glare and she stopped.

"Keep your distance," he sneered.

Javik took a knee beside Garrus and Shepard. He looked to the ODST.

"Your comrade just tried murdering the Commander," Javik said coolly.

For a moment Reed was surprised and offended by the accusation. She also had a problem with them calling a Spartan, her comrade.

"I tried to shoot him, just like you aliens did!" She exclaimed. "He killed several of my marines!"

"I understand the point you try to make," Javik replied. "Now see ours, your superiors must know that a superweapon, like the Spartans, can't be brought down by infantry grunts and a single Drop Trooper. Why you would try killing her, I do not know, or even if it is true, but…Spartans are essentially weapons, yes? Weapons kill people, but before they do, someone needs to point it at someone first."

Reed snorted. The thought of a defective Spartan didn't surprise her. All these super soldiers had issues on some level, this guy just happen to break now. Working with aliens probably brought him over the edge. Just a matter of time, she thought.

"Why the fuck would Command kill your CO?" She asked pointedly in her accent.

"It would only take one man," Javik said.

Garrus had turned his attention to Jane. He wasn't caring about Javik and the ODSTs argument, even though he pretty much initiated it. All he cared about now was getting Jane out of here safely and back to the _Normandy_.

Reed sighed and raised her hands and stepped back.

"Whatever, sir." She figured it wouldn't be too hard finding an alien hater in the UNSC. It was like throwing a rock in a glass house. No matter where you threw it, you'd hit something. And civvies and military had all good reasons to hate aliens. She hated them as much as everybody else too. But she could still follow orders when ordered to work with 'em. At least these. It wouldn't be the same if elites or fuckin' jackals replaced these aliens. At least they seemed like good people at first.


	16. Chapter 16 With enemies like these

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 16 With enemies like these

 **New Australia, Charlie zone**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

Syae was on point with Kaiden and their Spartan comrade Pierre. Grunt, Zaeed and Major Maeral was behind them with two squads of marines.

News about what happened had broken a few moments ago. But exactly what happened, wasn't so certain yet. They had decided to go on for now. There was nothing they could do anyway. No matter how much the _Normandy_ crewmembers hated themselves for acknowledging that. The coldhearted fact was that by the time they got over to Shepard's team she would be on her way back to the _Normandy_ for Chakwas medical care.

But the Normandy team was definitely keeping a close eye on their UNSC teammates until they figured out what happened.

"And I thought everything was over when we left Earth," Kaiden grumbled.

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it kid," Zaeed agreed.

Pierre looked at them.

"Left Earth?" He inquired. "Back in your dimension, you mean?"

Syae looked over her shoulder at him.

"You saying you believe our story?" She asked.

He shrugged casually.

"Maybe. You guys have done nothing but help since you got here, so…I figure you're good. It be kinda rude to just ignore the facts about you."

"You're a pretty open guy, aren't you," Syae noted.

He shrugged again.

"I guess. For a Spartan anyway. That's what people say," he told her.

As they approached the crater they found a village. It contained a few dozen houses. It appeared that a few had most likely been flattened when the object crashed.

"Looks like the folk livin' here got the hell out," Zaeed remarked on the village.

They didn't see or hear a soul. Everyone seemed to have disappeared. Best case scenario, they had run when the ship or whatnot crashed. Worse case, the Covenant had butchered them.

"Don't think I didn't notice you changed subject," Pierre told Syae in a friendly voice. "I'm still waiting."

Syae was about to respond when a high pitched mechanical and all too familiar sound filled the air. It sent shivers down their spines. Especially the _Normandy's_ team. It cause them, and the marines to freeze in place.

"What was that?" Pierre asked tensely and aimed on their surroundings.

"I-I'm afraid, I might know," Syae replied anxiously.

Any disbelief of what it might been died when a mechanical squid-like gigantic creature rose from the crater. Slowly it came to its full height and the red _eye_ stared in their direction.

The marines was halfway to scramble and run already.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," Zaeed cursed.

"Take cover, fallback!" Syae yelled.

More or less the same thing went through the Normandy team's heads. Life just wasn't fair. Not one bit. The universe just kept throwing crap in their general direction. For a second they contemplated how the heck they it had survived but that quickly sank and was replaced with the fact they would get disintegrated in a moment if they kept standing around.

"What the fuck is that?!" One of the marines shouted in horror.

Grunt and Zaeed jumped into a house with a handful of marines.

"You gotta be kidding me," Grunt muttered angrily.

"Life is bloody unfair, aye," Zaeed agreed.

 **New Australia, Bravo zone**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

Gunnery Sergeant Lilliana Reed had just received word from a Fireteam of marines she sent to the crash site they were sent to investigate. She figured she could dispatch a few marines to finish up while the aliens cared for their human CO. The marines had discovered a strange alien's spacecraft crashed into a crater and smashed to pieces. Whatever it was, if was utterly destroyed at impact.

The rest of the marines was guarding the perimeter and kept a look out for the Spartan culprit. She had no idea what was going on. Did the Spartan go rogue? If he did he proved why the Spartans was so dangerous and unreliable. Giving the ODSTs a damn good reason to distrust them. Or was it an order given by ONI or HIGHCOM? Either way she couldn't imagine what the aliens thought about the matter. Having trust issues was without a doubt a serious concern. While she pondered a Falcon arrived to evac the commander. A short discussion between the aliens follow before one of them, the one she knew as Vakarian followed the medevac.

 **En route to New Australia**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

" _I don't know_ , isn't an acceptable answer," Mr Harper informed the man on the screen.

"No, sir," he acknowledged.

Harper leaned forward and put his hands together.

"Find this Spartan, Daniel, before he does further damage to our security and plans."

"Yes, sir. We'll deal with him."

"Remember he's a Spartan. It won't be easy. But, he cannot go into UNSC custody." He keyed a terminal and shut off the screen. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Cleo."

"Yes?" The hologram asked.

"You have an opinion on all of this?"

She hesitated. "I…maybe this can be turned to your advantage somehow? I realize you didn't want Commander Shepard dead yet, but…"

"She will survive, I have little doubt." Harper seemed to wave it off. "She's survived too much to die at the hands of a mentally unstable super soldier. It might put unwanted eyes on us. That, is what worries me Cleo. I am already planning on using this incident to my advantage. Everything will be ready when we reach New Australia."

The female hologram nodded. "You haven't eaten today. Should I have something brought to you?"

Harper was silent, than muttered. "Ten years. Ten years. Now it's time to finish this."

 **New Australia**

 **28** **th** **April, 2551**

The Falcon was on its way to _Normandy_ per their ally's request. The original target had been a UNSC facility but the _Normandy_ crew demanded that their wounded CO should be brought to their ship. Given the situation at hand nobody argued.

Garrus was standing beside Shepard. She was still unconscious and he was determined to stay by her side until she woke up and was completely healed. Apart from himself there was two marines in the Falcon. One of them was a medic. He kept a close eye on Shepard throughout the trip to the _Normandy_. Making sure she remained stable. Adding the crew of a pilot and two gunners, one on each side.

They had only flied for fifteen minutes when the Falcon started going down.

" _Engine failure. Gonna put this thing down before it goes down,"_ Garrus and the marines heard the pilot over the intercom.

Garrus gritted his teeth in annoyance as he subtly held Jane's hand tighter.

"I've got a Commander back here in need of proper medical facilities," the medic said in the comm. "Get in contact with Command. We need a replacement aerial transport ASAP."

" _Copy that."_

As the Falcon settled down Garrus could only wait. It only took a few minutes for them to get help from a Pelican that was operating nearby. Damn luck. It appeared luck was on their side, for once. As it landed the pilot had gotten out and made a visual assessment over the malfunctioning engine with a gunner casually standing by his side. They argued what caused the malfunction.

The rear ramp to the green Pelican lowered. It had landed just six meters away. The first men out wore white armor with black and yellow markings. Garrus noted the color familiarity with Cerberus armor back in their universe, and the new weapons design. They looked different from those he'd seen used by other UNSC soldiers. But he didn't put too much thought into it, focusing on Jane's wellbeing, and turning his back to them.

"Boy are we glad you were in the area," the medic told the men as he walked out to meet them. "We have a wounded in need of evac, and quickly at that."

"That new ODST armor or somethin´"? The left side gunner asked.

"We'll take the Commander from here," one of the men said. His voice was twisted and distorted with a mechanical tone.

Garrus heard yelling just before everything went black. When he woke up everything hurt and he felt the heat of fire close by. He realized that the remnants of the Falcon was burning, as was trees and bushes nearby. He swiftly looked around.

"Jane!" He shouted. He tried sitting up but it hurt like hell. "Jane!"

* * *

I'm getting back into this and I'm sorry it's short and half decent in my own opinion but I "trekked through it" so to speak. After being stuck and generally unmotivated for this specific chapter I'll see about getting the next out soon enough. It won't be as long as this one took. Promise!


	17. Chapter 17 Distrust

Halo Valley of shadows Chapter 17 Distrust

 **New Australia, Airbase Poseidon**

 **30** **th** **April, 2551**

Wrex slammed his fist into the table hard. It caused several UNSC Junior officers to jump. With a growl Wrex spoke, "THAT, is not good enough human!"

Gathered with him was Liara, Mordin and Javik from the _Normandy_. On the UNSC side of things was General Warfield, Colonel John Dempsey and Colonel Estaban Rodrigez, plus a few officers.

"Easy Wrex," Liara cautioned him. His temper wasn't helping matters, even though she understood how he felt.

"I understand your anger, Mr Wrex," Warfield answered steadily. He put his strong hands on the table. "We are searching for the Pelican that took Commander Shepard and search parties still scurry the forest for Spartan Daniel. We are not hiding anything from you. We both know how bad this looks." He knew it look really bad.

UNSC soldiers-given the sight and Garrus's story-attacked the Falcon and captured the Commander. What was interesting was that the pilot's body could not be located. Which begged the question if there actually was any trouble with the engine, cuss it sure as hell sounded like a planned operation to Warfield. Which made it seem like Daniel's actions was part of it. It could also have been an incident brought on by a mentally unstable soldier and the rest was improvised afterwards. The only culprit he could think of was ONI, but Rodrigez was denying it. To the colonel's credit he was fully cooperating and gave Warfield access to ONI documents on NA. For now Warfield was willing to concede that ONI was not involved.

Wrex was glaring at the UNSC general.

Garrus was with some of their fellow crewmembers and assisting in the search for Daniel. He was their only lead right now. Kasumi, Grunt and Syae all had returned to Normandy in case they needed to defend it against a Covenant or UNSC attack. After everything that happened two days ago their trust was currently very low.

The search was made up out of two Platoons of marines and a Squad of ODSTs led by Major Devin Daer. One of the troopers in the field was Gunnery Sergeant Lilliana Reed.

"There is only so much we can spare in search of the Spartan," Colonel Dempsey remarked. "The Army is leading an evacuation of all civilian and key individuals on New Australia. The Navy is barely holding on in orbit and the Marines and Drop Troopers are doing their best to slow down the Covenant ground forces."

"The fact we have a Spartan Fireteam searching speaks volumes," Warfield added. "We will find Daniel. It is also likely that the pilot disappeared with the Pelican. There was no Pelican involved in a mission in that region and no Pelican reported back during the time period."

"We understand your predicament all too well, General," Liara said, being the voice of reason.

Javik took a step closer to the table to speak.

"If this Spartan snapped, just like that, then it is unlikely that he knows where Commander Shepard is," he remarked in a disgruntled voice. "We need to consider other alternatives."

"Such as?" Wrex asked.

"These abductors, they took Shepard somewhere. There cannot be too many bases around that can have a Pelican land and be stashed. They must know that could only fly so far afterwards before they were found. Presuming they were not on any official mission it would be even less a distance to travel before they raised suspicions."

"A fair point," Mordin seemed to agree.

Warfield slowly nodded.

"True, but they couldn't have used a military base without us knowing." He looked at Rodriguez. "Any base of operations must be off the books. ONI-style."

Rodriguez wasn't looking too happy. He knew what the General was demanding. ONI had a good number of secret bases on NA for operations and simple hideouts and many of them were empty and weren't regularly used.

"General-" Rodriguez started.

"May I remind you Colonel, before you protest, that ONI is not an independent organization but answers to the government and we are currently under Winter Contingency which means you answer to New Australia's Joint Chiefs, specifically Admiral Geraldino. I don't give a damn what your superiors say or think, I have an operation to conduct. With or without your approval."

The room was silent for a moment. Dempsey folded his arms over his chest and Mordin blinked. Otherwise nothing happened, no one said or did anything.

Rodriguez nodded slowly in defeat.

"Very well, sir. We have a number of facilities. There are three of them within a fifty kilometer radios of the abduction sight. I'll transfer the necessary data to you. All of these are currently empty because of the invasion. All our personal are elsewhere."

Warfield nodded in appreciation.

"I can't spare a lot of people Ms. T'Soni, so your own will have to do a lot of heavy lifting on this one."

Liara nodded understandingly. With the invasion and search for Daniel it was understandably that they were undermanned in the search for one man. Before she answered with reason Wrex did. With less so.

"Better that way, won't get shot in the back," he shot the three officer's a glare.

He shoved himself off the table and made for the exit.

Javik gave Liara a glance which she answered with a subtle nod before following the big Krogan.

"We would appreciate if you let us know when you have the Intel so we can move together," Liara said.

Warfield nodded.

"Within thirty minutes."

"We'll have teams assembled by then," Liara said, offering a sincere smile.

"We'll have to move quickly before the people responsible relocates the Commander," Warfield said with finality and looked at Dempsey. "Get whatever Drop Troopers you can spare ready. Get Fireteam Apollo ready to hunt."

She and Mordin joined up with Wrex and Javik outside and made their way to the _Normandy_. The _Normandy_ had actually finally been repaired and had landed on the airfield on Poseidon Airbase. The field in question had been closed for anyone not authorized. A detachment from the Army was in charge of keeping the area locked down. It included the 2nd Squad from the 18th Infantry Battalion's Tango Company. The people that had acted as defense of the _Normandy_ when it was still stuck after the crash. Since they hadn't had any incidents with the ship's alien passengers Warfield thought it fitting that they maintained their job.

When Liara approached the airlock into the Normandy she saw Syae conversing with a few troopers. Namely Matias, Hamilton and Lance Corporal Desi Lyon.

She waved her over and Syae followed her inside after clapping Desi on the back. She gathered up everyone in the War room. It was everyone that wasn't out with Garrus at the moment. It was off course Wrex, Mordin and Javik, but also Syae, Kasumi, Grunt, Rymia and EDI's robot body. After a moment Garrus was on the commlink and Liara went over everything they had spoken with the UNSC officials about. Off course there was a lot of concerns and distrust but also acceptance that it could have been a splinter group, something like Cerberus perhaps.

Garrus looked thoughtful and scratched his chin.

"Right, right." He-as much, or even probably more than anyone-wanted Shepard back. And he was hell-bent on being there to do his part to get her back. "I can have our people back in half an hour."

"Shouldn't some stay and search for the bastard that shot Shepard?" Kasumi questioned.

She was standing at the opposite end of the table from Liara.

"Us finding him would more than likely start another shot-out," Liara stated. "It may actually be better if we leave it to them."

"You think anyone can talk him down?" Kasumi adamantly disagreed.

Garrus cut in at that point.

" _Look everybody…"_ he paused for a split second. _"…even if they can't talk him down the rest of Fireteam Sphinx is tracking him down. They have the best chance to find him, and put him down. Lest we forget Daniel is a Spartan. A super soldier."_

"Let them solve their own problems then," Wrex uttered and Grunt agreed with a grunt.

" _I'm pretty sure that's not what I said, but close enough,"_ the Turian figured. _"I wanna kill that son of a bitch as much as anybody. Believe me."_

There was a moment of silence. On his end, Garrus avoided gritting his teeth and kept his frustration over how helpless he felt to a minimum.

"We will require three teams for this operation," Liara jumped in to help him. "We will work with the UNSC on this mission, and the Spartans from Fireteam Apollo."

The Spartan team had guarded the ship for a short period of time. Now they were prepping inside the base somewhere. Or so Liara imagined.

Wrex scoffed amused.

"You won't have trouble with volunteers on this one. We'll get Shepard back. Whatever it takes."

"We've been through too much to fail because of some rogue soldiers," Tali mumbled while fiddling with her fingers. She still sounded confident and certain.

" _Alright, I'm leading one of the teams, Kaiden one and Major Maeral the third,"_ Garrus decided. _"This will be a join operation so we'll work directly with the UNSC soldiers, like earlier. My team will consist of me, Liara, James and Wrex. Kaiden's will be Grunt, Tali and Javik and lastly Maeral's will be EDI, Mordin and Syae."_

Syae put her hands together in a clap and said,

"When do we leave?"

" _When we are back and Warfield gives us the go-ahead."_

* * *

Daniel ducked when a burst of bullets sprayed over his head.

"Stop!" The voice of Pierre screamed.

Daniel stopped. He slowly turned around to face his teammate.

"One wrong move and I swear to god I'll put you down!" Pierre told him angrily. "Hell is wrong with you?"

For a moment, they just stared at each other's visors.

"Why?" Pierre asked. He aimed at his friend's head. "Why stab the Commander, why attack your own people?"

A moment of silence passed.

Pierre shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong with you or who you're taking orders from, but you drop your rifle and come back with me."

He contacted Becky over his helmet comlink. Then he focused completely on Daniel again.

"Drop the rifle. Last warning."

"Then what my friend?" Daniel asked casually.

He raised his arms to his sides.

"Don't call me that," Pierre sneered. "You got five seconds to drop it, or I put holes in you."

Daniel smirked and licked his lips behind his visor. He glanced at the terrain around him. There was a rock formation five meters away. A quick dodge and a spring would get him behind cover. If Pierre had time to fire it wouldn't be lethal. Besides, he'd never kill him, no matter what he said. Which was an advantage for him.

He sprinted right, causing Pierre to squeeze his trigger and fire two bursts. One missed but the other hit center mass. It didn't get through the armor though.

He immediately started sprinting after Daniel and fired a three round burst.

Daniel ducked behind the rocks and drew his assault rifle. A second later Pierre came into his field of view and Daniel fired. But Pierre was too quick and dodged his slugs.

"Becky and Phoenix is on the way, Daniel!" Pierre told him. "If I haven't put you down by then we will together. Give it up and you'll be okay! You got my-"

Before he could say ' _word_ ' Daniel came out from cover and fired a hail of slugs with perfect accuracy. He lobbed a grenade through the air. Unfortunately Pierre caught it and lobbed it back before it exploded. It threw Daniel backward when it exploded in the air in front of him.

He let out an oomph upon impacting the rocks.

"Quick son of a…" he mumbled as he got up. He muffled himself when three BR55 rounds clipped into his leg. Not letting his Spartan friend fire again he got behind a tree for two seconds. Then he gripped his MA5C and got out of cover with a spray of led towards Pierre's position. Although he didn't see the result because Pierre jumped into cover, he was dead certain that he hit him and went through.

Because he wasn't sure how far away reinforcements were, he needed to finish this quickly and get away. Then he could hide and hookup with the right people. He took a deep breath and looked at his right leg. The wound wasn't that bad. Just a flesh wound. Pierre had aimed for his leg, if he had wanted to he could have put those bullets through his visor. His last mistake. He knew that if he continued to fight Pierre like this, he'd never win before the others got here. He didn't have a lot of ammo either. He gripped his trusted combat knife. In the right hand and the assault rifle in the left. Then he rushed out of cover and at Pierre.

Pierre saw Daniel charging him he leveled his BR55 and fired a burst aimed for the side of his helmet. The impact caused Daniel to stumble. It was enough for Pierre to fire at his rifle, smashing it out of his hand and breaking it, rendering it useless. With a swift charge of his own he placed his boot on Daniel's chest and kicked him down into the soft grass. And put a boot on his chest and aimed at his head.

"It's over," he stated with finality. "I'm taking you back to whatever fate your court martial decides for you. I'm betting execution myself." He narrowed his eyes on him. A feeling of hatred and betrayal was all he felt when he looked at his friend.

"I, don't, think, so," Daniel said with a grin.

Gripping his knife he swatted at Pierre's rifle. He knew he couldn't get Pierre to drop it but it was enough for him to get his pistol up and fire into his chest. Pierre staggered backwards when Daniel emptied the entire clip into him and kicked his knees with as much force he could bring. In the fraction of a second he was back on his feet and kicked Pierre's gun away. He tried to go for his head but Pierre blocked him. Pierre blocked his every move for ten seconds, until he stabbed him in the knee and knocked him to the ground. Without giving his former Spartan friend time to recover he jabbed the combat knife through his visor and into his skull. The short fight was over and his longtime friend was dead. Without a show of emotion Daniel wobbled away.

* * *

Shepard felt weak and her abdomen was aching painfully. She had been stripped of her armor and only wore the jumpsuit she had under her armor. Armed men in white armor with black and yellow markings escorted her through some kind of bunker. These assholes looked too similar to the armor used by her old nemesis's soldiers had worn.

"So…you guys ONI?" She supposed. Given her limited knowledge about the UNSC, ONI was the only people she knew of that could or would take her captive.

"Shut it," one of the soldiers snapped.

"Let's not be so rude," the woman in front said.

She was walking in front of her.

"Sorry about this ma'am but we all have our orders you know." She sounded actually apologetic. She looked over her shoulder. "Lieutenant Sarah Decker at your service ma'am."

"Oh, we're doing introductions now?" Shepard said emotionlessly.

"None of this is personal, I need you to know that ma'am," Decker answered.

They reached a thick door that slowly slid open. An additionally two armored soldiers was there. That gave her an escort of six soldiers. Normally that wouldn't stop her for long, but now…she wasn't strong enough. Whatever drugs in her system was making her sluggish, groggy.

They led her into a large room with dozens of computer screens around. In the very center was a holographic table with a UNSC holotank connected to it. The doors on the other side of the room slid open and a man in a black uniform walked in with confident steps. He was sure he was in control. There was an armored woman with him. Because of the darkness covering much of the control center she couldn't get a good look at him. her escort stopped and remained in a circle formation around her. she crossed her arms under her chest, waiting. As the man halted six meters in front of her he picked out a chip from his pocket and put it into the holotank. A female AI appeared. She was green with a summer dress, short and barely passing her butt. He had passed into the light and it was the last person Shepard had expected.

"You have got to be bucking kidding me," Shepard said, eyes narrowing.

"It has been a long time Shepard," the Illusive Man said, smiling slightly. "For one of us anyway."

What did that mean? She wasn't sure.

"I shot you, twice."

"You did. In the abdomen. As you see I survived and a few loyal operatives managed to get me out and healed me out. we were in FTL when the energy wave hit us. Sent us here. One big difference though. You arrived five days ago, but me? I have been here for ten years. Ten years in a different reality or dimension, take your pick. I go by Jack Harper officially."

Shepard took it in, but kept staring at him with narrowing eyes.

He raised his hand when she was about to speak.

"Before you ask, let me explain. You see the uniform, I am with ONI, doing whatever it takes to secure humanity's survival and supremacy." He paced around the holographic table slowly. "I won't bore you with all the details but I found my place with ONI."

"Never told them who you were? Where you were from?" She assumed. They wouldn't have been so surprised about her arrival if he had come clean.

"Off course not," he said. "You've met some of them. They aren't the most trusting of people." Shepard rolled her eyes. Understatement of the millennia.

"What about these…"she groaned when the pain shot up for a moment. "..these guys?"

The Illusive Man looked at his men. He gestured to the woman that came with him.

"This is Commander Logan, and you've already met Lieutenant Decker. She's in charge of my personal security team when I'm not on Reach. They are loyal, willing to fight for the cause, to give their lives."

Shepard eyed Decker's armor pattern.

"You got a thing for white and yellow?"

He smiled a bit wider.

"Call it nostalgia Shepard. I have rebuilt Cerberus, to some extent. believe it or not even Oni has regulations that you can't break. A weakness. Now, why don't we get to why you are here."

"You think I'll destroy your plans eventually."

"Correct. I figured you had understood that. though you were never near my class, you always were as clever one."

Shepard straightened herself and pointed forcefully at him. She had had enough of this monologue.

"I promise you that next time I shoot you, I aim for your head."

The Illusive Man locked eyes with Decker through her visor and gave her a small nod.

"Don't take this personally ma'am," Decker excused.

She hit Shepard in the abdomen hard. Excruciating pain shot through Shepard and she doubled over in agony. She let out a loud pained groan.

"Erm, I have to interrupt but there is a potential problem," the AI Cleo spoke up.

The Illusive Man turned to her.

"What is it Cleo?"

"There are five Pelicans approaching the bunker and they are not registered under your command," she informed her.


	18. Chapter 18 Assault

Halo Valley of shadows

Chapter 18 Assault

 **New Australia, ONI Operations Complex Shadow of Heaven's Gate**

 **30** **th** **April, 2551**

Maeral was the first through the door after the Drop Trooper hacked the controls. At his back was EDI's robot body and a UNSC Squad. Three Drop Troopers and the rest filled up with available marines. The first corridor was set up with two machinegun turrets on opposite sides, a simple defense but it worked perfectly in the tight entrance corridor. Mordin and Syae was shutting down an exit to the bunker to avoid anyone escaping. They had a team of Drop Troopers with them.

"Syae, you got anything on your end?" Maeral asked through his comlink.

"All quite here, Major," the vicious Aey'Syyon female answered.

"Copy, we haven't run into anybody either. Stay alert. Remember we don't know who these people are, so don't shoot on sight," he finished.

He spotted three doors at the end of the corridor, all closed.

"The left door should be the elevator," the Drop Trooper Master Sergeant stated. He looked to Maeral. "This is a rather standard layout for small outposts on New Australia. Center door CC and right a small supply room."

Maeral nodded, "Copy. Master Sergeant, you and your men check the supply room, marines check the control center with me and EDI."

"Understood xeno buddy."

Maeral frowned at the latter word but pushed any thoughts of it out of his mind. Whether it was his lack of knowledge of dealing with friendly aliens or outright xenophobia it wasn't relevant now. Finding Commander Shepard in one piece was the only purpose now.

They checked the supply room first, the ODSTs filed in and quickly cleared the room. It was ten by ten and stacked with what Maeral noted as munition boxes. He keyed the panel to open the door into the CC. EDI and two marines was ready and aiming as the door slid open, slowly, with a grinding noise as it skid across the floor. No way anyone could be surprised if they were inside the room. As the door slid open the elevator was making unwelcomed noises. It was coming up. Had they just stepped into an ambush. The answer came in the form of a frag grenade.

"Take cover!" Maeral warned.

It came from the CC and flew above their heads and landed a mere meter behind them. All in all, they had mere seconds to react in total. As if a grenade wasn't enough bullets started flying. Maeral threw himself over a marine that was hit in the leg. He had a personal shield while the young kid did not. He figured he was far enough away to avoid getting injured, but his should was probably screwed. EDI charged into the CC with her dual wielding Carnifex's. She noted four soldiers in armor very similar to Cerberus armor, but a UNSC model. While their rounds impacted her shields and gave them a real pounded she aimed and fired two combined bursts of five rounds each. They shredded through two of the hostiles visors and killed them instantly.

The grenade detonated and left two marines dead and an ODST wounded. Maeral rolled off the wounded marine and pulled him into the supply room for safety.

"Get your man in there," he told the Master Sergeant.

He nodded and gestured to the third ODST to help their wounded comrade. He rushed into the CC himself, pissed. He ducked behind a console a burst at the bastards trying to kill them. next to him was a marine, firing shot bursts from behind cover.

"Stand down!" He yelled angrily. "We're on the same fucking side!"

The answer was a hail of bullets.

"I do not think they agree Master Sergeant Frasier," EDI remarked plainly. She was taking cover behind a console two meters from the Master Sergeant. "Major Maeral, there is a signal emanating from this base."

"What kind of signal?" Maeral inquired.

"Unknown. It is on an open channel. It can be picked up by anyone. Including the Covenant."

Outside Maeral and the three marines and one Drop Trooper remaining on their feet prepared to catch whoever was in the elevator in an ambush of their own. Maeral and two marines was in the supply room across, ready to fire right into the elevator and the rest was in the corridor. When they stepped out they would open fire.

"Clear those two out and find that signal, shut it down," he decided. What was that about? Why would these guys send an open signal? Who where they trying to contact, they had to know that the Covenant could pick it up. Unless that was the point.

The elevator door open, revealing eight men in the same armor as those in the CC. Maeral and the marines opened fire with deadly precision. Two men went down in the opening barrage. They knew how awkward their placement in the elevator was and did their best to get into the corridor, allowing the men there to fire at them. The marine in the corridor was shot in the head, leaving the Drop Trooper on his own. But Drop Troopers weren't pushovers and he dropped three men and allowed the marines and Maeral to clear out the rest. It was over in seconds.

"Major Maeral, I am in contact with the UNSC AI Sparta," EDI informed. "She inform me that two Covenant Corvettes are approaching the bunker."

"If they start unload troops we'll be overrun," he said, cursing mentally. "We have to fallback. If Shepard was here they would probably have been more ready for an attack, not letting us just walk through-"

* * *

Garrus was sitting in a Pelican with Liara, James and Wrex. They were joined by the Spartan Fireteam Apollo. He was sitting across from Jaguar, the woman that led the team in the field. Apart from the Apollo team there was four Pelicans with men, mostly marines but one with proper ODSTs. This bunker complex was the biggest of the three they were checking out and extra men was sent with them.

"One minute out," Jaguar said to everybody.

Garrus heard EDI in his comlink.

"Garrus, I must inform you that team three has failed," she informed him with her emotionless voice.

"What do you mean?" He asked. He definitely didn't like the sound of this. What had gone wrong already? "Is everybody alright?"

"Syae and Mordin received light injures because they were outside, my robot body was destroyed and Major Maeral is dead. the UNSC team is also dead."

Liara, Wrex and James was staring in shock. What had gone so wrong that it got almost everybody killed. Jaguar was looking at Garrus, but he couldn't read her facial expression behind her visor. He assumed her people was shocked too.

"Wow, whoa, what the frag happened?!" He exclaimed.

"The bunker was destroyed by a Covenant attack from two Corvettes. They were drawn to the bunker by a communications signal sent by the hostiles present. It is likely now that they hoped this outcome would happen. A way to ensure no data was recovered and eliminate our team at the same time."

"Wherever you go humans are insane," Wrex grumbled. "Doesn't matter which reality."

"…Copy EDI," Garrus started, unsure of what to say. He was happy Mordin and Syae survived and regretted Maeral and the soldiers deaths. Though he hadn't known much about the Salarian he saw him as a dutiful and honorable man. "Damn it. Are you okay?"

"I was and could not be harmed. Losing my connection to my body did not harm me. Though the experience can be described as, unpleasant," she stated.

"Right. We just have to hope Jan-Shepard wasn't there," Garrus finished up with. "We're landing EDI, keep an eye at the sky."

"I will."

Jaguar was the first out with Garrus behind her. the rest of their respective teams followed. Spartans Lee, Mira, Dominic and Luke followed with James, Wrex and Liara. On their approach to the bunker entrance Jaguar looked at Garrus.

"It wouldn't make sense to kill your commander like that after kidnapping her," she said, trying to sound assuring. "They could have just killed her from the start."

Garrus was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, I known." He didn't sound as sure as he wanted to.

"I heard your commander was something of a badass, almost Spartan standard," Jaguar continued.

"You bet," Garrus said. He looked to the Spartan jogging beside him as they reached the door. "Liara hack it."

"On it," she assured.


End file.
